It’s THE gift.
“Physical capacity isn’t a gift you can give kids. It’s THE gift.
When they learn to not only self-induce, but thrive in & through voluntary hardship, it callouses their hands, hearts, & minds.
And the newly found confidence & capability bleeds into every facet of their lives.”
-Ray Zingler on X
I love this time of year.
The temps start dropping, the deer start moving, and the hoodies and boggins start covering torsos and noggins.
It just reminds me of old fashioned work.
And working outside in a gym with only relative heat reminds me of this everyday as I come home to a warm house and the smell of whatever has been simmering in the croc pot all day.
We wear Carhartt for the utility not for the image.
There is nothing that drives a sense of accomplishment like valuable, meaningful work.
And in today’s world, our kids are getting less and less exposure to the ability to feel satisfied by an output.
No offense to working at smoothie king, but no kid is leaving their shift invigorated, hungry for more.
Have you ever had your kid come home jacked out of his mind about a test he has tomorrow? There will be work involved, but it isn’t valuable to him. Even if he does earn an A, the zeal has lost any weight because he knows he’s got another test week, that will again, ultimately yield a low reward.
Have you ever seen a kid pick-up a heavy sandbag and carry it across a gravel drive?
When it’s 26-degrees outside?
Have you seen his sense of accomplishment when he finishes the carry?
Do you have any idea how that makes him feel?
It makes him feel like the baddest, most capable mother fu*ker on earth.
And while the invigorating feeling of accomplishment is admittedly only short lived..
What do you think happens to this kids psyche when he accomplishes hard physical tasks day after day, week after week, year after year.
Of course he gets the satisfactions of getting jacked, overall health, and improved physical capacity, but more importantly it does something to his brain. To his being. He’s a different person.
If you don’t think carrying a 200-pound sandbag with frozen fingers helps kids with nerves when it comes to presenting a project in class..
You ain’t never seen a kid carry a 200-pound sandbag with frozen fingers.
When you teach kids to be physically strong and capable, it positively impacts every facet of their lives.
Physical prowess is THE gift.
