Mind Over Matter

Every so often we press ourselves to the limit of what we feel is humanly possible, then we get a second wind pushing us farther than we thought we could go before. The mind and its abilities are something we tap into when fatigue sets in, it’s the mind that helps get us that next mile or that extra weight repetition. What we’ve seen recently by magician David Blaine is a true testament to what the mind can accomplish.

David Blaine has an impressive internal fortitude to say the least, without the proper mindset I doubt that he would be able to accomplish the things that he has been able to. Imagine yourself encased in a block of ice, how long would you last? I know I probably couldn’t last very long…He lasted 61 hours 40 minutes. That’s an incredible amount of time, a little more than 2 and one half days…very impressive.

How about hoisting yourself on top of a pillar 90 feet in the air, now once you get over your fear of heights you realize you have nothing more than 22inches to stand on. I’d try to balance up there, but I’m sure I would fatigue in 3 hours which is a pretty reasonable amount of time. He did 35 hours without food or water, and without anything to lean on. Again that’s pretty darn impressive

Now what if you decided to fast for a day, or maybe there’s the prom or some other social event that you need to get in shape for so you fast for a couple days. How about 44 days? Not possible you say, well you guessed it he did that too in the confines of a box smaller than a prison cell. He also lost about 54 pounds.

His latest feat is also a true testament to one’s mental stamina, staying submerged in a sphere of water for more than 170 hours. I can’t stand being in water for more than 1 hour let alone 2, my hands look like raisins and it just gets a little uncomfortable. He did have a nightcap for this accomplishment as well, trying to hold his breath for 9 minutes. He fell about 2 minutes short of his goal but 7 minutes is not shabby by any means.

In all this is the extreme of what mental stamina can do, we use it in daily tasks to overcome adversity in different ways. Having a healthy mind can help you overcome many obstacles and having a calm inner being truly does help.

“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” - Henry David Thoreau