Mind Over Body

"That is real freedom."

In this quote from This is Water, I believe that Wallace is referencing one's mental freedom. Throughout his speech, one main message is fighting your brain's "natural, hard-wired, default setting". When you aren't making a conscious effort to think about your thoughts, you'll go into an automatic state of mind where it's nearly impossible to control your thoughts. Other than mental freedom, this idea reminds me of your mental strength. 
One of the most important lessons I've learned throughout my sixteen years is that the most limiting factor in life is truly your mind. I first realized this when playing sports. I've done gymnastics and dance and color guard and synchronized swimming and throughout all of these, I found out that no, it wasn't my physical abilities that were holding me back from performing at my greatest potential, it was always my mental ability. My coaches always told me that every obstacle I faced was purely just a mind game: if you told yourself you could do it, you could. 
While doing "under overs" in synchronized swimming- could I physically hold my breath long enough to swim the length of the pool? Yes. It was just a matter of whether or not I had the mental willpower to force my brain to take control of my body. In gymnastics, could I physically hold the plank for just one more minute? Probably. But was my mind strong enough to tell myself to do it? That was the constant mental battle I fought. I had to learn that no matter how physically strong or capable I was, it wouldn't amount to anything unless I built up my mental strength.
After experiencing this through sports, I realized that this lesson was relevant in every aspect of life. The best example? Me. Right now. Writing this blog post two minutes before it's due. Could I have done this earlier today? Yesterday? Two days ago? Most definitely yes. But honestly, my brain just couldn't seem to force my body over to the computer and put my thoughts into words.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 23, 2018 at 4:06 PM

    Hey Sophia! I loved this blog so much. It's really cool how you incorporated so many examples to show your point on physical and mental strength. I can totally relate to writing my blog 5 minutes before the deadline! Also, the last paragraph is really unique with the short phrases, and it really brings out the tone.

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  2. Catherine H.September 23, 2018 at 4:14 PM

    I'm totally able to relate to your point of view. Every time I feel like I don't have the physical capability to hold on, I somehow manage to do it if I wanted it badly enough. And of course, whenever I feel like I wont be able to finish my homework during the four minutes of passing time that I am actually sitting down, I find that it was completely within my capabilities. All joking aside (kind of), this is a good perspective to have to be able to push down the physical limits and improve further.

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  3. Esther ChoiSeptember 23, 2018 at 5:17 PM

    Sophia, thank you for this post; this is such an important message! Your mental strength is definitely so important when it comes to finishing tasks and pushing through hard times. People sometimes underestimate the power that their brain really has and this leads to failure and defeat. I can relate so much with the procrastination thing and I like how you gave personal examples to explain yourself. I also love the writing style you used; I could literally hear you reading this inside my head.

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  4. EricSeptember 23, 2018 at 7:20 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. EthanSeptember 23, 2018 at 9:52 PM

    I completely understand your mention of the mental strength of everyone. We go through the tough mental game of school everyday, but it all comes down to who can outwit their own wit to get through the day. I can definitely relate to the fact that it's hard to overcome yourself sometimes, and through the hard times, your mental strength just gets stronger.

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