WHAT OLYMPIANS KNOW THAT MOST DON’T: YOU NEED A STRONG ROOM!
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
—Proverbs 27:17
You may not know this, but the best athletes in the world aren’t necessarily the ones that make a professional or Olympic team. Many great ones fail to reach their potential while others, not as great, excel. The best writers in the world aren’t necessarily the bestselling authors. Many terrific singers are not those we hear on the radio. Many of the greatest statesmen have never made one single award speech. Many of the world’s greatest fashion designers have never attended Fashion Week in Paris. You will end up being who you choose to train and do life with!
If an athlete works out in a “strong room” with championship winning coaches and competitors who are doing everything they can to be the very best, that athlete is in the best position to reach his or her potential. But if an athlete, no matter how great, trains in a weak room, with coaches who aren’t creating champions and people who don’t have the commitment, skills, work ethic, or desire to win, that athlete will most likely fail to reach his or her potential.
Authors, designers, salesmen, computer programmers, pastors, and secretaries are the same way. If you are looking at your skills on a one- to- ten scale, you cannot hang out with the “twos” and expect to become a “nine.” Any way you look at it, you are the sum total of the people you spend the most time with. If you hang out with “twos” and “sixes,” then you’re in a weak room. The best you can be is probably a “fourish.” Train in a strong room of “nines” and “tens” and you can’t help but become a “nine-and-a-half” or a “ten” yourself.
YOUR STRONG ROOMS
Who are your coaches and training partners ?
The reason the strong room is the most important lesson is that it’s exactly the concept of church—a group of people doing life together with a unified purpose, training themselves to be godly. God’s strong room idea builds great everything from faithful believers to champions in all walks of life. What does your “faith room” look like? Are you being mentored by a pastor and other Christian leaders at church and through the Bible and other biblically-based resources? Are you embedded in a church and surrounding yourself with people who make Jesus the center point of their lives? If not, get on it. You don’t want to be a loser here. All life flows from a strong faith room.
What does your “personal growth room” look like? Do you have a strong set of coaches—people with strong intellects that are directing you toward the best books to read, the best classes to take, and the programs to watch and listen to? Are you surrounded by people who are committed to personal growth who are readers and always looking for opportunities to learn? What does your “relationship room” look like? Do you have a coach who’s been very happily married for twenty-five years or more (and their spouse agrees)? Can you look at their marriage and say, “I want that!” Are you surrounded by couples who don’t have the word divorce in their vocabulary and are continually working on their marriage and interpersonal communication skills?
What does your “financial room” look like? Do you have a coach who has the kind of resources and lifestyle you aspire to and who wants to help you achieve them? Do you “train” with people that have similar financial goals, are reducing their debt, want to see you become wealthy, and have a phenomenal work ethic?
What does your “parenting room” look like? Do you know someone with children who are nice to other kids, love Jesus, get good grades, and respect their parents? Make them your coach—and please forward their number to me!
THREE TYPES OF STRONG ROOM TRAINING PARTNERS
In all of these rooms, you want to look for three types of life training partners.
First is someone who is a great person to model. From a sports perspective, they can beat the pants off you. In tennis, you can’t return their serve. In basketball, you can’t get off a shot and they dunk on you all day long. In running, biking, or swimming they get their victory lap in before you can even finish the race. In wrestling—well, let’s just say it hurts!
In life, these are the people who are excelling in the important areas where you struggle. If you’re broke, they’re rich. If you’re fearful, they’re faithful. If you’re overweight and out of shape, they are grain-free-eating marathoners. This group will radically raise the bar for what you’re attempting to accomplish in life, and show you that big is possible. They are great people to model. With this partner, the ultimate goal is to one way, with the right strategy and significant effort, catch them and even beat them, metaphorically speaking of course!
Second, is someone who is on your level and who is as committed as you are to going to the next level. Reading, praying, exercising, going to events together, and working with the same coaches will help you grow as a team. Partnering in growth makes that growth happen exponentially in life, sports, and faith.
Third, is someone you guide and mentor by making use of your gifts and experiences.
The old, worn-out saying is true: “You are the sum total of the people you spend the most time with.” So choose the people you’re doing life with very carefully!
With God, all things are possible,
Dr. Ben
#cccmovement