One of my God-given gifts is stamina. I have the ability and discipline to expend energy over long periods of time. The dictionary defines stamina as the bodily or mental capacity to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity. Another definition of stamina is the moral or emotional strength to continue with a difficult process or effort. Stamina synonyms are endurance and staying power. I discovered this gift when I went to university.
Early in my sophomore year, I knew that my class preparations were not working; I could not wing my way through engineering. After dinner, I stuffed my books into my backpack and went to the nearby library where it was quiet. I spent at least four hours each night grinding through the assigned homework and rigorously preparing for exams. I awakened at 6am, ate, and studied until my first class which usually began at 8am. I needed to work to pay for part of my education, so weekends were spent earning money. Sundays, after church, I worked and studied in the quiet student center. There was little time for other activities besides my education and work. The days were long, but I developed stamina.
After graduation, my stamina increased. I started exercising before I left for the office. I went to evening MBA school while working full-time. When the children were born, additional time was spent raising them along with home ownership upkeep, like yard work, house cleaning, and repairs. When I started running marathons, I woke at 4am to train before taking a bus to work. After a long day at the office, I returned home for family time until the kids went to bed. I did evening church meetings, weekend family activities, and Sunday morning worship. When I review my diary, I am astonished at the level of my stamina. Although my life has slowed down since retirement, I still rise at 5am and my days are usually filled with many physical and mental activities.
I enjoy reading biographies of famous people, especially American presidents. Probably my most enjoyable biography is on Lyndon Johnson written by Robert Caro. Johnson’s capacity to work was legendary. Caro said he never knew that a person could work that hard. Johnson was so driven by his fear of failure that he physically collapsed at the end of one political campaign. His fear came from his family’s history of failures and the resulting shame.
I watched the movie, The Iron Lady, in which Meryl Streep played British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Her husband, Denis Thatcher would tell her: “Bed, woman!” She lived off just four hours of sleep. When I don’t get at least six hours of sleep, I do not function well, make mistakes, and become irritable. Her excessive lack of self-care probably contributed to her dementia.
Long distance endurance sports, such as running, swimming, and cycling, develop a person’s stamina. Planning, nutrition, time management, and discipline are all necessary to increase stamina. I chose running marathons as I found that my lack of quickness wasn’t a hindrance when running for longer periods of time. I could outlast many of my competitors by running consistently for hours. My marathon training honed my employment stamina. What I lacked in intellectual quickness was strengthened by organizational, strategic, and preparational skills.
Extreme stamina can take its toll, though, both physically and mentally. A year ago, while crisscrossing the US on a road trip, my wife and I listened to the audio book, Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity, by Dr. Peter Attia. He devoted a major section on sleep and how important it is to our health. He explains the scientific research and his personal experience as a medical doctor working incredible hours. My learning was that sleep is necessary to your personal well-being and not to be replaced by continual work. I should have read his book before I left for university!
Your God-given gifts can be greatly enhanced by developing stamina in your life. Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” is the foundation of the Protestant work ethic attributed to John Calvin and articulated by Max Weber. Many athletes, political figures, medical doctors, and industrialists have successfully applied this phrase. Developing stamina is a good personal trait when done correctly.
Working hard does not mean success, though. Walter Mondale, President Jimmy Carter’s Vice-President, ran against Ronald Reagan as the Democratic Party’s nominee in the 1984 presidential election. He lost in a landslide. I remember his speech at the Democratic National Convention when he pointed to the bags under his eyes and stated that he earned it by his hard work. Working from dawn to dusk and then some doesn’t guarantee that a person reaches their goals. However, few achieve their lofty goals without stamina.
The Apostle Paul had stamina, the ability to push himself to extremes and suffer for righteousness. “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5) Stamina is crucial to achieving self-actualization and character but may cause suffering along the journey. It must be balanced by adequate rest and healthy choices. Like most aspects of life, balance must be maintained.
