Pearl's Of Wisdom From Coach Sonnon

If you're lucky you find a qualified trainer who can teach you proper exercise technique. Over time you will not only transform your body, but realize many of the psychological and physiological benefits of exercise including improved cognitive function, reduced fatigue, an improved psyche and reduce levels of anxiety.

If you're really lucky, you will may come across the rare individual who can also teach you how to life your life to your best ability. In Coach Scott Sonnon I feel I have found both.

While I have followed Coach Sonnon for the past 5+ years, it has really been over the past several months, as I have continued to recover and learn to live with my vestibular disorder, that I have truly begun to appreciate the Coach's philosophy, which can be applied not only to fitness, but life itself.

In my journal I have jotted down some nuggets of information from Scott that I would love to now share with Catapult Fitness Readers.

Live. Learn. Grow.

Pearl of Wisdom 1: We can be shot with 2 arrows. 1 is PAIN: an evaporating hurt; 2 is SUFFERING: a lingering anguish. To live with honor, we must accept that we may be hit with the first arrow, but it is our choice to be shot with the second. Suffering is only our mind's story about pain, our self-pity. We are promised to face many pains in life, but suffering is a choice. Experience the pain and let it go. We need not suffer it.

Pearl of Wisdom 2: It takes bravery to confront Reality and take true baby steps. This I know and respect. And it takes a strong ego to defeat ego, so do not begrudge your will to push hard. It's a virtrue. Like most athletes with a strong ego, pushing hard must be defined in terms of how very hard it can be to take each baby step without skipping. With strong wills like yours it's harder to wear the yoke than feel the whip. And I respect you for this.

Note: These were Scott's words to me in confronting my condition as I attempted to re-engage in an exercise program. His words proved invaluable to me and enabled me to not simply recognize my limitations, but revel in my accomplishments.

Pearl of Wisdom 3: Finding the place where you want desperately to quit, and choosing to continue, is more than good training. We cannot compartmentalize perseverance. It ripples throughout our character.

Pearl of Wisdom 4: We've taken "Stopping and Smelling the Roses" to an illogical extreme; oscillating between mind-less work and over-indulgent leisure. Use daily training to reframe whatever you do as PRACTICE: a deepening development of yourself. Everything you do will become mysterious, illuminating and gratifying to you and everyone in your sphere of influence.

Pearl of Wisdom 5: The hardest lesson to teach the next generation? To live courageously. Why? Because it can only be done by example, which requires you to face your greatest fears, and make the difficult, righteous choice. When no one is looking. You shall not profit or be recognized for your deeds. I aspire to this.

I cannot really adequately express how Coach Sonnon has helped me in my recovery process. The best I can do is say that sometime we need to take ourselves out of our present and view life from a much broader perspective.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan