Good Morning, my friends! After taking last week off for the Fourth of July Holiday, the Workout of the Week is back. This week’s post will discuss a well-known phrase and take a deeper look at what (I think) it really means. The post will also include my workout schedule for this week. So, to kick off the new week on the positive, this is The Workout of the Week. This is The Ask, Seek, and Knock Workout.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7 – The Bible – New King James version
I am sure most people are familiar with the phrase/bible verse “ask, and you will receive; seek, and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened”. Most of us know that we cannot just wish for things, and then they magically happen.
Wait – Is That All I have to Do?
Ask and you receive…
Wait just a second, is that all I have to do? Just ask for something I need? Just seek something out that I want? Just knock on the door somewhere I want to go?
… and then I can have anything I desire???
Not So Simple
The Ask, Seek, Knock idea is not meant to be so simple. There is no genie in a lamp, magical shooting star, wishing tree, or fairy godmother thing that is going to magically make all our dreams come true if we just ask for it.
Like many stories, there is more to unpack.
Sermon On The Mount
The verse is from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (which you could read more about here). Without getting too theological, The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus telling his followers how they should strive to live and the ethics they should follow, and it includes most key ideas in the Gospel of the Bible. The Sermon is where we got The Lord’s Prayer, it contains the Beatitudes, and it contains the verse “Ask, and you shall receive…”; among other key teachings of Christianity.
Like many parables and stories, there is more meaning than just the words translated onto the page.
What Does It Really Mean to Ask, Seek, and Knock?
What does it really mean to Ask, Seek, and Knock?
Asking is figuring out what one really wants or needs.
- Figuring out a big goal or meaningful pursuit.
- Use visualization to see yourself starting to have or do what it is you want.
- Set that big goal.
Seeking is following the action steps to actually pursue that want or need.
Visualize the daily tasks needed to achieve the goal.
Develop daily action steps needed to align with the goal.
- Check back with the big goal periodically to make sure the actions are lining up with the big goal.
- Knocking is orienting daily life in the action steps of that pursuit and being persistent about it.
- The everyday practice of orienting your life so that actions aim to the accomplishment of the goal.
- Give up or sacrifice things that don’t line up with the big goal.
Goal-Setting
To me, this is really the key to setting goals. Ask – What goal do you want? Seek – What are the action steps needed to pursue that goal? Knock – Do the daily actions that align life to make the goal a possibility.
LPSAGs, To Get Your BHAGs
When I was in college I learned how to set SMART Goals. I had also heard of the idea of “BHAGs” – Big Hairy Audacious Goals. I used these two ideas to create my goal-setting idea – “Use LPSAGs to get your BHAGs”.
You’ve probably heard of SMART Goals and BHAGs, but if you are new here, you may not have heard of LPSAGs (I pronounce – Lip-Sags).
What The Heck Are LPSAGs??
LPSAGs are my goal-setting idea that I used to get myself through college while working 45+ hours a week and studying another 30-40 hours a week.
LPSAGs are:
- L – little,
- P – puny
- S – specifically
- A – aligned
- G – goals.
These are the daily, weekly, and short-term action steps needed to accomplish a big goal (BHAG). They should be written down on a “to-do” list every day, or week, or month. My method is writing them down in a list, putting a box in front of them, and then when completed, putting an X in the box.
Get To The Point
The point here is we should not just throw a wish out into the universe, then sit back and hope that something will happen. Instead, it is that we can achieve goals when we are clear about what we want (ask), create a path towards that thing (seek), and then orient our lives in pursuit of that thing (knock).
Wait, what about the second part of those?
There is a second part to each phrase:
- Ask, and it will be given.
- Seek, and you will find.
- Knock, and the door will open.
This is where things are a little trickier. As most people know we don’t not always get what we are looking for. We do not always get the outcome we want.
Ultimately though we do gain lessons, experiences, and knowledge when we ask, seek, and knock. We become more than we were. The process changes who we are and what we think is possible for ourselves. The gift we are given, that which we find, and the door being opened are really the person we have become through this process. The person we become is far greater than any external want, need, or desire.
The Lesson
I think the true lesson of the Ask, Seek, Knock verse is to pursue our passions in life by setting mindful goals, taking action steps towards those goals, being persistent daily in the pursuit, and then becoming the person we are ultimately meant to be through the journey we have taken.
Get What You Need
In the words of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need”.
On To This Week’s Workout Schedule
The workout this week will be spin bike workout videos Monday through Friday, every day, in the morning before work. I will be riding along with a Global Cycling Network video. Then on Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun, I am will do shadow boxing Tabata burners with my new 2.5lbs(ea) weighted gloves. On Tues and Thurs, I will be getting back into the gym for strength training – HIRT Circuits on the weight machines. I will be doing yoga and meditation every day. Depending on the weather, I also will be riding my Mountain Bike, Disc Golfing, or Rucking.
Spin Bike
Here is a great spin bike video from Global Cycling Network (GCN). They are my go-to for spin bike workouts that are quick, but very effective. I like to do these videos right away in the morning to get my metabolism firing and get my mind ready for the day.
Yoga Video
This “Fill your cup” video from Yoga With Adriene is a great one! I will be doing this or one like it every day this week.
Shadow Boxing w/Weighted Gloves
Shadow boxing Tabata Burners with the 2.5lbs weighted gloves on Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun. I do Tabata (8: 20×10) intervals. About a one-minute break between rounds. Three rounds or more. Freestyle shadow boxing going at about 80% max intensity for the 20-second “work” duration, and then doing defensive moves and boxer shuffle at about 20% intensity 10-second “break” duration.
Wrap It Up, Dude!
Alright, there you have it my peeps! That’s all I have this week. Thank you so much for reading. I truly appreciate all who do. Also a special shout out to the awesome free content providers: Global Cycling Network and Yoga With Adriene. They are my go-to’s in their respective categories! Make it a great week. Until next time, be the hero or heroine in your story.
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