What do you say? I'd say community. We will always be a people in need of community. Now let's engage. To the creatives and athletes, the parents, coaches, family, and friends who invest in them—through supplies, necessities, fees, food, and more—you are deeply appreciated.
Why Aren’t You More of a Priority?
"This world is not our home," but it is our training ground. From spiritual made physical, we humans coexist with dependency and independence, which are essential for our environmental health. To understand who we are, we must first know where we are. So, who are you? Who are you becoming? And do you imagine yourself as an asset or a liability in your environment?
In sports, individual conditioning determines the longevity of an athlete’s career—and who they become, both on and off the court or field. How can you apply the concept of individual conditioning to improve other areas of your life? Prioritize your time because the times are changing, and so should we (for the better, that is).
Whatever you do, though, don’t spend too much time focusing on another person's journey. In fact, don’t even follow me—follow Christ. But regardless of who you choose to follow, ask yourself: "Have I been in or out of the wilderness lately? How long have I been wandering through it? What am I doing with my time daily? Am I training sufficiently? Am I receiving counsel and mentorship? What does it mean to be reliable, dependent, and independent?"
Since you're alive, be well. Train for life as if God were the Head Coach, your parents, guardians, teachers, coaches, and mentors were the Assistant Coaches, and Christ, the referee. Train like a champion and a leader, committed to personal conditioning and teamwork. We are a team. From this blog, we'll continue to use sports and creative tools to build MHAEK—strength under control.
Food For thought:
Research suggests that “dependency” originates from the idea of “hanging, being sustained by being attached to something above.” It implies that to be dependent is to rely on something or someone, while independence means relying on oneself. But how can something independent be reliable? To protect your mental health from spiritual warfare and tangible adversaries, you can adopt the mindset of being "In-dependent"—in the dependency of God. This means trusting and practicing peace when things feel out of control. However, before becoming independent, we must train for any position or opposition. Spiritual etiquette teaches us that independence isn't solely about being self-sufficient in the secular world; it’s about reliability. It’s about how well our strengths work together as a team. It’s about "being still," knowing who you are "in the world, but not of it."
You may feel that compassion and empathy often elude you, but if you look long enough in the mirror, you’ll see they’re there. Keep using those tough-love experiences as fuel to reignite your passion, your fire, and your life. Think deeply about how to prioritize boundaries, balance, and expectations with your loved ones so you can train your mind for sustainable purposes only—to use the sticks and stones aimed at your character to fortify the walls of your renewed mind. This is part of your new home. Reclaim it and do the work. The worst of your worst was part of the plan—divine intervention.
Look around—can you feel the glitches? Many people are losing hope in their ability to rely on themselves, drained by the push and pull of self-care and empathy for others. Underserved parents, teachers, students, and coaches worldwide need support—and they are as reliable as their resources and environment allow. What’s your position? What part of your environment can create positive social change?
Takeaway
The Power of Individual Conditioning
Are you reliable, or a liability? What needs to change? What does individual conditioning look like for you? Who is your accountability partner? What is your role or position in your family, within your school, church, athletic team, or friend group? Can you improve? Where, when, what, how, and why would your growth benefit those around you?
To help dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, which is rooted in short-term vs. long-term relationships between parents, teachers, students, and communities, we must explore and discover who we are. Only then can we become assets that address the root causes of these fragile or non-existent relationships—so we might uproot grand social problems and transform underserved communities.
Every person, child, and adult’s deepest cry is: "Put me in a healthy environment and watch me thrive."
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