You enjoy fitness, while he doesn’t. It might be because the first gym you went to had a great atmosphere and well-equipped machines. You had a light workout without injury and experienced the pleasure of muscle pump, which sparked your interest.
Before you criticize someone, remember that not everyone has the advantages you have.
1. His first experience at the gym was completely different from yours. Your gym had a good environment, a great atmosphere, and well-equipped machines. You had an easy workout, felt the muscle pump, and naturally developed an interest. Meanwhile, his gym had a poor environment, a bad atmosphere, and he got injured from improper form, so he didn't feel any enjoyment.
2. It's no wonder that your outcomes turned out to be completely different.
4. You went back to look up some educational resources, thoroughly understood the causes of your injury and how to treat it, and after some effort, you recovered and began training scientifically.
5. He also looked up some resources, but didn't manage the injury properly, which made it worse or more persistent. He became skeptical and eventually gave up.
That's why the results were different.
You see, two completely opposite outcomes, and they stem from just a little difference in luck.
You found the joy in fitness and made it this far, but he didn’t have your luck—he missed the opportunity for a good start and didn’t encounter the right circumstances to keep going.
Many things in life are like that.
1. I’ve recently developed a fondness for running, and it’s partly due to luck.
2. At the end of last year, during a training trip, my shoes got soaked in heavy rain, and I didn’t have a spare pair, so I had to buy new ones at the mall. I found a pair of sports shoes from a local brand, tried them on, and they felt great. Plus, there was a points discount event at the mall, so I bought them.
3. When I got home, I thought, "These shoes are expensive. Why not try running?" That was my first step. Then, my smart watch, which I had with me, just happened to have a running coach feature. It creates personalized plans based on your performance. I remember my first run—my watch set a plan of 5 minutes of brisk walking at a heart rate of 120, followed by 5 minutes of running at 140, then another 5 minutes of walking at 120.
4. It didn’t care about my speed, just my heart rate. Whenever I exceeded the limit, it vibrated and beeped to remind me to slow down.
That was a great start.
After a few sessions, I came across a video by the "tissue teacher," who raised the bar for the entire running community with his insights. His quote, "Every time an app tells you that you’ve broken a record, you’re not just breaking a running record—you’re breaking the limits of your life so far," really motivated me.
That kept me going.
• After feeling the joy of aerobic exercise, I increased my mileage, but soon ran into the common problem of knee and muscle pain for beginners. Luckily, I had read enough educational material, so I didn’t panic. I went to the hospital for an MRI, and thankfully, there was no serious issue. I reduced my running volume, focused on strengthening my leg muscles, and made gradual adjustments to my stride. Slowly, the pain faded, and I gained a deeper understanding of running, which made my runs smoother.
• That gave me a deeper understanding of the sport.
• These four factors came together to help me enjoy running and stay safe on my journey. Now, I’m training for a full marathon.
• You see, each of these four points involves a bit of chance or luck. Without any one of them, the outcome could have been very different.
Therefore, for anything that has many participants but I don't yet understand, I always think the same way: it's definitely worthwhile, I just haven't encountered the opportunity that sparks my interest yet.
Conclusion:
If I can share the joy of running with someone who has never run before and create the opportunity that sparks their interest, I would be more than happy to do so. The same applies to other things. In reality, there is no distinction of superiority between people; it’s just a matter of timing, perspective, and experience in dealing with things. If you're lucky enough to experience the joy first, then try to spread the opportunity that creates this joy. If you haven’t found that spark yet, it’s okay—just keep an open mind, and sooner or later, it will come.