Goodbye Old Friend….

For the past 16 years or so, I’ve used the same combination lock at the gym (at an average of four workouts a week, that’s at least 3,328 times that I’ve opened and closed it)!  I probably purchased it for $1 or $2 when in university, and it’s been with me through multiple gym changes, and a move across country (and back). Needless to say, I’ve used that trusty combination, 25/10/20, so many times that it’s second nature to me.

A few months ago, I started noticing that the old lock just wasn’t working the same. Often, after a workout, it was taking me 5 or 6 tries to even open it, as clearly the mechanism inside was wearing out (as you can tell from the picture at the right, the numbers on the outside had seen better days too)! I joked with people at the gym that would see me messing around with it that the hardest part of my workout wasn’t the weights or cardio, it was getting back into my locker. Not to mention, I’m pretty sure that from the way strangers looked at me, a few of them weren’t thinking I was trying to break into someone else’s locker…

Finally, the other day, I tried for about 15 minutes to open the lock with no luck. I knew then that it was time to make a change. I borrowed a lock cutter from the gym staff and with one snap, broke it off and threw it in the garbage.

I got to thinking, why is it so hard for people to make a change? Sometimes when things aren’t working (jobs, relationships, friendships and more), it’s easy to ignore the obvious and not do anything. In my life, I’ve made a pledge to myself to take responsibility and do something about getting rid of negative things, people and situations from my life. I’ve already noticed great results. As for my workouts, I now don’t have to worry about wrestling with a rusty old lock and in the long run will save time, frustration and a probably a few grey hairs. All it took was making the decision, and $3.99 for a new lock! Have something that isn’t working in your life? Is there a “lock” that you could throw away to improve your life?

Have a great Monday!

Matt Mawhinney