007: Embracing Hardship w/ Justin LoFranco, Morning Chalk Up Founder

Today on the Limitless Athlete Podcast, you’ll be listening to a conversation between founder of the Morning Chalk Up, Justin LoFranco AKA J-Lo, and myself.

 

The biggest lesson I think the average person can learn from this is how Justin goes out of his way to expose himself to challenge, rather than insulating himself from difficulty.

 

One certainty of life is that you are going to encounter challenge and strife. Your path through life will be littered with trials and obstacles. That’s one of the guarantees of life, along with tax and death.

 

This is especially evident in training, but also in our relationships, our careers, and every other area of life.

 

Look around you, and you’ll notice that difficulty is everywhere. You’ll also notice how some people thrive under it, and others crumble. What’s more, it’s relative: what challenges you and I will be at two different levels.

 

What prepares us for hardship is hardship itself. When you do difficult things, you get better at doing difficult things. What was once beyond you, is now within your capabilities.

 

This is not because these tasks become any easier, it’s because you prove to yourself that you are ever more capable.

 

You and I should not be waiting for challenge to explode into our lives from the unknown, but should be biting off as much as we can chew at any given opportunity.

 

The path to growth, and to a better life, runs through hardship, not around it.

 

Alongside hardship, Justin and I also discuss

 

• How you become identified with being a CrossFitter

• Delaying gratification for the bigger reward in the long run

• Summiting the US’ highest mountain

• Dealing with fear

• And the benefits of solitude