Forge the Mind, Train the Body

Imagine a moment when you wake up only to realize that you have let yourself go. That in the act of honing the mind, the body was neglected. Your hands are smooth and uncalloused, unused to hard work, unfamiliar with the cold, hard touch of steel. Your belly sags, pulled down by gravity like jelly. The mechanism that moves your body creaks – weak, uncoordinated, with little stamina or energy. Any task leaves you short of breath and the thought of stairs tires you. Each year you become weaker, losing more mobility and the ability to perform even basic tasks.

This unfortunate reality is slowly becoming more and more common as lifestyles turn inactive. With food easily bought in stores rather than hunted, constant access to processed foods high in fat and sugar, and technology that cuts down on physical activity, it’s easy for the modern human to indulge and become weak.

But to avoid backsliding into frailty, we can employ some ancient Greek wisdom:

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

-Socrates

It is your responsibility to yourself to train and care for your body, keeping it ready to face the world’s challenges. To focus only on the mind while neglecting the body is a mistake – they are two parts of the same whole.

The Japanese author Yukio Mishima came to this realization while visiting Greece, awestruck by the athletic figures represented in classical sculpture and the philosophy behind them. Inspired, Mishima adopted a rigorous physical training regimen, transforming through weightlifting to sculpt his own body. He recorded this journey in his book “Sun and Steel,” exploring the connections between physicality and character, detailing his shift from shy intellectual spending nights at his desk to an athlete with chiseled muscles that embodied Greek ideals of excellence.

Delving deeper into Greek philosophy, the significance of physicality extends beyond mere aesthetics. Thumos, a concept associated with spiritedness, finds representation in statues with prominent chests. It's not merely about physical appearance; it's about the actions required to attain such a physique. Thumos is the heroic spirit that empowers individuals to confront and overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. Thumos is about being a person of action.

Thumos means "spiritedness" - not in a mystical sense, but rather as a way of being. Through training and improving the body, the mind becomes more resilient. You transform into a person of action - one who can convert ideas and thoughts into fruition.

A person with Thumos does not sit and wait; they act and accomplish goals. The more you push yourself in training day after day, the more grit you will develop - the ability to endure discomfort and do what is hard.

The mountain always looks bigger when viewed from the bottom. Starting a training regimen will be difficult as your body encounters new challenges. But as you build consistency, you will improve both physical performance and mental well-being.

Developing Thumos molds you into a person of spirited action and grit. This metamorphosis happens slowly, so focus on the process of showing up day-to-day. In time, you will create positive lifestyle changes that carry over to other life areas.

Take action and start now. Even small steps in training avalanche into massive results over years - but only for those willing to put in the hard work consistently with passion. Approach each training session as a chance to incrementally sculpt your ideal self. Take action now!