HOW TO MOVE MOUNTAINS WITHOUT GETTING TIRED

Preface I would like to offer a bit of wisdom that I discovered some time ago. This is one of the most useful and important things that I ever come across. WITH THIS TECHNIQUE, YOU CAN WORK ALL DAY LONG AND NEVER GET TIRED! (I was going to put it in the appendix of a book that my wife and I are writing. Now I think it is more important to share it as a gift to everyone. I hope it is useful).

If you can remember a very simple principal, it will help you immeasurably when facing any physical challenge. For example, I used it to backpack for days in the mountains of California, up to 9,000 feet. This is not an activity I have undertaken before. It was pure pleasure! I never suffered any physical pain or weariness. Two weeks later, I took my wife to the same mountain on a day hike. She is less physically conditioned than I. She went up and down the mountain .... barefoot

The only problem is that this technique is sooo simple and soooo obvious, that it is easy to forget. In order for the reader to anchor in the principals in memory, I want to tell a little story.

THE STORY It happened many years ago on a fateful Friday, in a small town, on the East Coast. It was the Friday before Thanksgiving weekend. A long relaxing weekend that I was really looking forward to. No such luck! I didnt get to relax, but I received one of the greatest gifts of my life.

I was in the basement doing some forgotten chore, when I heard a strange soft sound. ssssssssssssss....

Upon investigation, the puzzling sound seemed not to be coming from anything inside the basement. It seemed to be coming from outside the foundation wall, well below ground level. What, on earth, could it be? As I stood there, scratching my head, a little dampness appeared on the cement wall. . Near the water meter. . I knew the awful answer. The old water pipe was leaking just outside the foundation wall. Oh No! Why me God? Why on my much deserved, much desired holiday?

I saved as much water as I could in containers. It sure is interesting how precious things become when they get scarce.

The water company turned off the water at the curb box. They told me that it was their problem on the street side of the shut off valve. Anything between the valve and the house was my problem.

This out of shape body was suddenly faced with a challenge. I would be digging a 30 foot trench from the foundation wall to the curb box. Then digging a hole big enough for a plumber to climb into and do the connection to the city water. To get bellow the frost line, the trench had to be three feet deep. To top it off, the soil was hard and heavy.

Im pragmatic. I can face reality. It was obvious that this job was going to just plain kill me.

Even if it didnt actually kill me, I knew I would wish that it had. I could look forward to sore muscles, sore back, and sore everything else. I would be so sore and stiff that even the neighbors would ache. I just wasnt prepared for this.

OK, its time to get smart. What are my options?

Option 1) I want to get this job out of the way, as fast as possible. If I start digging and go as fast as I can, Ill get tired at some point. Then, Ill work through the pain and fatigue. Yeah, right.

The harder I push, the more sore Ill get. The harder I push, the worse Ill feel. Heck, Ill be lucky to get half way through this without being hospitalized.

Option 2) Thinking a little more objectively, I realized what I really want is to get this job out of the way, and not get sore, or hurt myself. In fact, I didnt even want to get tired!

Would it be possible to do this, big job, with my out of shape body, and live?

I am here to tell you that yes, it is possible. You can do major physical work and never get tired. Never even break a sweat.

HOW The answer is simple. So simple that it is in danger of being forgotten.

The simple, priceless, rule is: Rest before you get tired and you will never be tired. If you dont go into deficit, you never have to recover.

Please say it out loud so you wont forget it. ...If I rest before I get tired,  I will never get tired.

WHAT WORKED FOR ME I easily accomplished the formidable task over the weekend.

I worked for four minutes and rested for two or three minutes. I rested before I felt even a hint of fatigue. I never got to the point of being tired. And, I kept going, and going, and going

It sounds a little funny, but it takes real discipline and focus to rest when you arent tired. Its too easy to keep working. But, if you can manage to rest, the results are most definitely worth the no-effort. You will get everything done without feeling bad. I got the whole job done and it didnt hurt for a minute.

Surprisingly, it didnt take long either. You can work efficiently when you feel good. When you are beat, you work slower and it seems to take forever.

WHY DOES IT WORK? For the sake of brevity, I will skip the technical description of muscle metabolism and summarize the highlights:

We get tired because our muscles are starved for oxygen & nutrients. We get sore because lactic acid builds up in the muscles and the muscles develop small tears from over work.

A damaged muscle takes days to heal, at least three. Resting a few minutes will refresh the muscle. Rest allows the toxins to flush out and nutrients to flow in. This way you never let the muscles get damaged in the first place. Apply The Golden Rule to yourself. Be as kind and considerate to your own body as you are to others. Take it easy, R E L A X while you work. Dont let the lactic acid build up and dont force your body beyond its physical capacity.

ALWAYS FRESH If you rest before you get tired, each time you start in again, it will be fresh start. You just keep making fresh starts until you are done with the job.

OTHER STORIES A moving company supervisor told me a story about an employee. The man in question always moved slowly and deliberately. He would carry only one thing at a time; one lamp, one box, one coffee cup, or ONE PIANO. He was strong and smart. He could work all day, accomplish a lot and never get tired.

A friend told me about an old movie. It was about Mahatma Ghandi. It showed a construction project in India. They used hand labor to move rocks.

Who was the first one to start and the last one to finish? Tiny, frail Ghandi. He out lasted the big strong men.

The big guys strained, and pushed, and labored hard. They wanted to show how strong they were, how hard they could work, and what big stones they could move. They all burned out well before the end of the day. They had something to prove.

But, Mr. Ghandi had nothing to prove. He would pick up only what he could manage and would carry it at a sensible pace. He worked slowly and deliberately. He never exceeded his limits. He didnt try to prove anything. He never burned out.

When I hiked up the mountain, I stopped when I still felt good. I rested before I got tired , took the weight off my muscles, and stretched a bit. There was never a moment of discomfort and I had much more time to enjoy the beauty around me.

It is just like finances. When you go into debt, it takes even more effort to get out of it. Avoid physical debt and life flows much more smoothly.

So, just remember that rule: Do not go into debt. REST BEFORE YOU ARE TIRED. If you dont get tired, you will never be tired. If you dont get hurt you will never have to heal.

Blessings to all, Roger

-- (roger@netdex.com), October 18, 1999