If It's Scary to Look, You Need to Look

League of Wildness,

I avoid looking at my left arm.

I’m right handed, and it seems that no matter how much I train, my right arm always looks stronger than my left.

Specifically, there is a bicep vein, (also known as the cephalic vein) that runs along the outside of the arm that I thought (and still think) looks really cool.

On my right arm, this vein is quite visible, but on my left arm - not so much.

This has bothered me since I was 12 years old.

I remember that when I would be lifting in a ‘traditional gym’ that was caked in mirrors I would intentionally avoid even looking at my left arm because I didn’t like the way it looked.

It was almost as if I was ashamed of my own “weakness”.

For 25 years I never really confronted the meaning of this habit until just a few months ago.

I started to look at my left arm.

Without judgement.

Without desire.

Instead, what I saw was an opportunity for progress.

I heard a quote that went something like this, “shame lives in the shadows, but as soon as it’s exposed to the light - it cannot survive”.

I love this idea and I don’t think it’s relegated to “shame”.

Fear, procrastination, anxiety, self-doubt, addiction - are allowed to thrive when kept in the dark.

It’s when we face these things courageously, even in the face of what may seem like overwhelming impossibility - that our world starts to get better.

Courage can happen in the seemingly tiniest of actions - dragons come in all shapes and sizes.

It could be admitting to your husband/wife/partner that you were wrong.

It could be admitting to your child that you were wrong.

It could be admitting to yourself that you were wrong.

In the realm of health and fitness - change is courageous.

If you choose to stop drinking you may lose social connections.

Losing weight and/or getting in shape can oftentimes lead to ‘crabs in the bucket syndrome’ where those who choose not to better themselves attempt to build self-esteem through trivializing your efforts and dreams.

Your growth can be a proxy for where others avoid acknowledging in themselves.

This can be painful, but the process will ultimately expose what is true.

And to find truth, you must be willing to look into the shadows.

Much love and have a wild weekend,

-Dan, wild gym founder

If It's Scary to Look, You Need to Look

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