Something that really grabbed my attention in Stephen Covey’s ‘The seven habits of the highly effective people’ was the concept of overcompensation. He does not dedicate more than one or two pages to it, but it is such a inspiring fact about how our body (and our mind) works, that its resonances still travel with me, even though it’s been some time now since I read the book.
Seemingly, the concept of overcompensation comes from the world of bodybuilding. Everyone who wants to increase his own muscular mass knows well that, the point where you start to build muscles, is when you take them to an excess of strain, to a laceration. After you’re done with the exercise, your body reconstructs the damage back to the state in which the muscles were before, and then adds a bit more muscle, as if it said ‘just in case’. So that’s when you get your muscle built: not during the exercises, but during the rest stage that comes later.
A funny challenge-and-response mechanism, isn’t it?: “First I break you, then you give me back more than I broke”.
But Covey, evidently, is not much interested on bodybuilding. His point is that our minds work in a similar way. I cannot agree more, and I think it is a very good thing to keep in mind on those occasions when you think you’ve failed, broken down, been unable to fulfill any schedule or self imposed ruled. Sometimes we hit too hard on ourselves. Maybe we just needed that breakdown, our nature needed such ‘boxes time’ to do the arrangements before taking us to a higher level (I have posted before about this kind of ‘renewal’ before). I see it like a pair of shoes that have become too tight. You can keep on walking with them, sure, but it is better to spend the time to take them off, let your aching feet rest for a while, and then, put on the bigger sized ones.
So try to think it that way next time you fail to fulfill a ruling, a schedule or any kind of habit of self promise. Maybe it is not that you failed: you were building the strength. And being stronger you can try harder, that’s for sure.
Any overcompensation case comes to your mind? Did it ever happen to you realizing that the best way to speed up was slowing down a little?
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i strongly agree, you have to fall hard in order to rise!!
Hey Farouk, thanks for coming round. Yes, definitely, one must fall in order to stand taller. The matter is how ‘hard’ is too much: after re-reading my own post, I think maybe I should have stressed more the fact that one must take one’s strength one step beyond his comfort zone, but only that one step. If, when pain comes in, one goes on, there is a risk of linking the experience to disgusting sensations and then give it up forever.
I think it is very interesting the comparison you make between muscle and events in everyday life. What do you think could be a good way to motivate someone else to rise spiritually after one of these falls?
Hey Raidal, thanks for commenting. I’m glad you liked the post. As for your question, it would be too daring for me to give a general answer, for each person is different, and the term ‘spiritual’ means something different for each person. The good thing about the compensation phenomenon described here, is that it is a natural process our bodies (and our minds) develop automatically, so, in a way, there is no need to ‘motivate’ anything. If you want to be helpful to someone else’s process, the best you can do is create the best conditions for such a natural process to take place. That’s all I dare saying out of the bat
Thanks for coming round