Self Awareness

I am a student of excellence.

During my freshman year in college, we were required to memorize a mantra that was immortalized by one of the legendary presidents of my alma mater. We were encouraged to “do whatever we did so well that no man living, no man born, and no man yet to be born could do it any better.” As a highly impressionable 17 year old kid from Brooklyn who grew up watching his father read, memorize and quote poetry, I drank all the kool-aid in that quote. Those words I memorized mesmerized me, and have become a part of my mental, emotional and spiritual architecture. As a result, I strive for, seek to embody, and study excellence wherever it manifest itself.

There is no greater embodiment of excellence in professional football than Aaron Donald. Dude is a straight up beast! For those of you who may not know, Aaron Donald plays defensive tackle for the 2022 Super Bowl Championship winning Los Angeles Rams. Donald is widely considered to be one the best players in his position, one of the best players in the National Football League, and one of the best players to ever play the game.

I was curious about how he achieved such excellence, so I started researching. I was so inspired by what I discovered that I decided to incorporate some of his habits into my own personal routine. That was a pretty bad idea. LOL.

That was a bad idea because I decided to start with his weightlifting regimen. I read that he can bench press 500 pounds. I knew I couldn’t do that. So I started at 300. My thinking was that was a mid-range goal worth striving for. Well, That didn’t work.

Then I tried 250. That didn’t work either.

Then I tried 175. Yes, you guessed it. That didn’t work either.

Then I tried 125. Nope. Couldn’t budge the bar.

Once I got down to 95, boom! I turned into Superman! LOL.

I am pleased to announce that I am happy lifting 95 and that I have relinquished my desire to to bench press 300 pounds, let alone 500 pounds like Aaron Donald. That’s. Not. Gonna. Happen.

Why not?Not because I can’t. But probably because I shouldn’t. And more because I won’t. LOL. Unlike Aaron Donald, I haven’t been waking up at 4:30am to lift weights since I was 12. Unlike Aaron Donald, I am not a defensive tackle in the National Football League. And unlike Aaron Donald, I don’t have 95 million reasons (the value of his latest contract) to stay in the gym. I lack the motivation and the desire.

All of us need to be inspired by somebody. However, we must always maintain a firm grip on who we are or it will drive us to make some pretty foolish decisions. Understanding who you are, what you can do and what you should do is called self awareness. Tasha Eurich has written that self awareness “represents how clearly we see our own values, passions, aspirations, fit with our environment, reactions (including thoughts, feelings, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses), and impact on others.” Of all of these components of self awareness, I think that knowing your strengths and weaknesses are two of the most crucial. There are some things I can do. And there are some things I can’t do. There are some things I should do. And there are some things that I should not do. Knowing the difference between the two is the difference between victory and defeat, success and failure, envy and contentment.

Today, let’s focus on what you can’t do. Consider this statement that Moses makes during a conversation that he has with God in Numbers 11:14

I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.

In my earlier years,, I thought Moses was complaining, and I would be thinking to myself “come on Moses., you can do it!” This is the same Moses who saw God at the burning bush. This is the same Moses who went to Pharoah and told him that God said “let My People go.” This is the same Moses who called down plagues on the land of Egypt. This is the same Moses who lifted his rod and the Rea Sea divided. When I first read what Moses said to God I wanted to pull out my sanctified pompoms and give him a cheer! “Moses! Moses! He’s Our Man! If Moses can’t do it, no one can.”

But now, looking at this same verse from more seasoned eyes, I no longer see a complainer. I see a highly self aware individual, fully aware of his limitations and ok with them. “Look Lord”, Moses is saying, “I just can’t do it.” There is profound wisdom in that admission

Someone reading this needs to admit to God, to others, and themselves that there are some things that you just can’t do. Admitting what you can’t do is not a confession of weakness, insecurity, or failure. Admitting what you can’t do requires strength, maturity and wisdom.

I can’t lifts weights like Aaron Donald. But I don’t feel bad.

Aaron Donald can’t preach like Joseph Robinson.

Respect everybody.

Be inspired by somebody.

But you can’t be nobody…except yourself..