johnmdemarco posted on June 11, 2010 18:57
I could see her out of the corner of my eye as I worked on my second set of leg lifts and prepared for a rest before the final reps. The woman waiting to use the machine that I was currently occupying.
Waiting, as in standing nearby. Doing nothing else. But waiting.
Never mind that there were a couple of dozen other machines she could have been using during the five minutes of so she squandered while watching me to see when I might be done. Forget the extra heart rate elevation she might have achieved, the additional muscle tone she might have gained, the higher number of calories she might have burned. She wanted that machine next and no other, and as awkward or uncomfortable as it might have been for the present user she was going to wait, by golly.
I was more amused than irritated by the slight invasion of space. And it left me pondering why people sometimes choose inertia over action. I even shared the story as an illustration during a leadership retreat I facilitated today, as I spoke of the need for character in action for true transformation to take place.
Too much time is wasted waiting for things to happen: for someone to recognize us, appreciate us, give us a shot, follow up with us, and so forth. The time to build muscle tone and burn calories is now. The possibilities in the present moment are endless, and we must not squander them.
I read a page or so from a book during my rest, and then finished my third set, wiped down the machine and moved on to another exercise. She hurriedly scrambled to the leg press in my absence, unaware of the lesson in social intelligence/gym etiquette I longed to share.