Time discipline

 Over the weekend, I found myself once again getting worked up about something that has been happening for months. I usually reach the gym early, around 5:10, ready to start. But my coach insists that my workout begins at 5:30. That 15–20 minutes of waiting always gets under my skin. I keep asking for my set so I can start and finish on time, but the response is often slow or brushed off. By 6:00, I need to leave. That’s non-negotiable for me.

At first, I thought the solution was to keep talking to the coach, reminding him of my situation. For a year, I did that. Nothing changed. So the real question became: why was I still getting frustrated every single time?

The answer, I realized, is that I value structure and time discipline. When those are not respected, I feel dismissed. But the gym also gives me convenience it’s close by, its free since the coach is paid for by the institution and I can be in and out in an hour. So maybe the cost of that convenience is dealing with a coach whose timing isn’t aligned with mine.

That’s when I decided the only part I can truly control is my reaction. Instead of spending those minutes begging for a set, I can stretch, warm up, or even just breathe. If my workout is delayed, it doesn’t mean my time is wasted it just means I use it differently.

The bigger lesson is this: we often get stuck trying to change people or systems that have no intention of changing. That effort only drains us. But when we shift focus to what we can control our mindset, our use of time, our boundaries the frustration begins to lose its grip.

I have to consider that going forward sometimes the real workout is for body and the mind