Sometimes helpful life lessons seem to come out of nowhere. You or a friend might experience something that may not seem like much at the time. But later on, you realize this experience held a life lesson that applies to your current lifestyle.
Today, Jekel Strength Club has a story just like that for you. This one is about procrastination and overcoming our barriers. So here’s Ross and the story of Chad and the Non-Bearing Wall.
In college, I met Chad. Chad lived across the street from me, and he was a little bit ahead of where I was in life. He already had a wife, a house, and he even invited people over for dinner. One evening, as we chatted during dinner, the topic turned to Chad’s latest house remodeling project.
Chad and his wife wanted to make some changes around the house. But one of the changes required taking out a wall. Chad had a hard time getting started on this project. Something was stopping him, so the wall remained.
Sometime later, Chad hosted another dinner party with a close friend, and the topic of the wall came up again. His friend asked, “What’s stopping you? It’s not a load-bearing wall. This is just a wall that divides two rooms. It’s not structural, and it doesn’t hold up the building. What’s stopping you?”
Chad didn’t know.
So his friend stood up and said, “Well, let’s go get your sledgehammer.” So they did, and the wall came down.
Once the wall was down, there was nothing in Chad’s way. He finished the remodel, and it looked great.
So you might be wondering why I’m telling you this story about walls. It doesn’t have a lot to do with Jekel Strength Club – other than swinging a sledgehammer of course, which is a great workout and great fun.
Well, there are several morals to this story.
Just like Chad, when you have something blocking you, you may need someone who doesn’t live in your house help you. It was difficult for Chad to take down the wall at his house because he lived there. He was there every day. It was his life. But for someone else who was just there visiting, it was a fun remodel project.
Things started to change for Chad when he was willing to invite others into his space. Rather than waiting to have people over until the remodel was done, he invited people in and talked about the walls.
He found someone who knew things about walls, and Chad was willing to listen to what they had to say. Chad’s friend also had some knowledge about tools. Sometimes the tools that someone tells you can break down your walls are things you already have. You just aren’t using them, and you might need a little help. You might need somebody to use the tool alongside you, so you can get started on breaking down that wall.
Chad had a willingness to let someone help him even though he was risking a little bit of embarrassment. Even though taking down the wall turned out to be fairly straightforward, he wasn’t ashamed of letting someone help. He was happy that the wall was down.
In the end, Chad had to finish the job on his own. His friend had left, and he had a bit of a mess. But he saw how to get started, and he finished the job. When the job was finished, he got to enjoy and maintain the house. It was now his responsibility.
I’m sure you can use your imagination to apply these principles from the story to many parts of your life. So I’ll leave it to your creative genius to think about situations where Chad and his non-bearing wall can help you.
If you can spot some similarities between yourself and Chad, you’re not alone. Do you procrastinate getting healthier, fitter, stronger, or leaner? We’d love to hear more so we can help you overcome these barriers.