It’s the holidays and I’ve got some commitments keeping me home right now. I’ve been taking a few more social media breaks than I have when working, and right now my algorithm is feeding me some fantastic video clips about athletes really pushing themselves to great feats.

As well, I’ve seen interviews of people in their late 60’s and early 70’s who are in fantastic shape. It’s wonderful to see men and women who are older than me and crushing it when it comes to fitness. Then I’ve also got a buddy my age who recently crushed the Grouse Grind, a gruelling uphill climb, who took about 8-9 minutes off of his time last year. Totally awesome.

I’m willing to bet that each of these stories started in their teens. The majority of 50+ people who are pushing their physical fitness are people who played some sort of competitive sport in their early years. They may not have been the best, they might not have competed in the top tier, but they learned how to push their body at a young age. They learned what it means to grind.

The fierceness might not be there anymore. The competitiveness might have waned. But they get what it means to push past the pain, to not quit because things got hard. To endure now for benefits later.

I’m sure there are some people that can get to this place later in their years, but for most people the learned work ethic and drive begins as a kid. And if that kid learns how to go all out and still give more when they feel like they have nothing left… They will take that with them for the rest of their lives.