So, what makes going to the gym worthwhile?

I’m sure different people have different answers, but for most of us, it is the endorphin rush we feel after a particularly gruelling session, right? That moment when you just barely complete a heavy set of bench press as close to failure as safely possible, and you can feel the blood just pulse different in your chest and arms? That can be pretty addictive.

Working out for the pump and the high is fun, but is that why I go to the gym? Is that all I want from the gym? Of course not.

I did not join the gym to feel good at the gym. I did not join the gym to get better at the gym. Yes, it helps, and it is a part of my natural progression, but this is not the goal.

What is the goal? To be able to run and jump and be comfortable and pain-free in my normal life outside the gym. Maxing out on the bench press, as fun as it is, is not directly going to help that.

So often in life, we lose track of what we really want and why we are really doing the things we do, right?

It is important to keep asking these questions:

Why did you join the gym?
Why did you choose that major?
Why did you take—or quit—that job?
Why did you start—or stop—dating?
Why did you move out of—or move back to—your hometown?

Remember why you made the choices you made.

Remember what you seek from them.

Remember who you are.