In their book, The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Health describe a fascinating experiment in which participants agreed to subject themselves to painful trials.
First, they submerged their hands into a bucket filled with cold, 57-degree water for 60 seconds.
In the second trial, the time was increased by 30 seconds. For the first 60 seconds, the water was kept at 57 degrees. But for an additional 30 seconds, the water temperature was raised to 59 degrees.
The participants were not told how long each of the experiments had lasted. They were asked, “If you had to do one of the two trials again, which one would you choose?” A whopping 69 percent said they’d prefer the second trial over the first.
Even though both trials submitted the participants to the same 60 seconds of 57-degree water, and the second trial added another 30 seconds of pain, the volunteers preferred the second trial because it ended in a less painful way.
It’s how we finish that matters. That’s why Paul said, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Recovery Step: Never forget that what matters most in your recovery is not what you did years ago, but what you did minutes ago.
