The first time I did an Insanity workout, I cried.

I didn’t cry because of the ass kicking I just endured; although that was probably part of it. It was much deeper than that for me.

Toward the end of the workout there is a music change. (Listen to this for some motivation and power in your life.) There’s a shift in the notes and the tone of it all. The music writers of these workouts know what they’re doing. They know that after 45 minutes of absolute hell, we need something extra. We need some kind of Rocky-esque inspiration to carry us through to the end when all we want to do is collapse on the floor.

So that’s exactly what they give us.

At the end of this particular workout, right after the music changes and we are going into the final few minutes of this body beating, Shawn T says, “Let’s Go! We’re going into the ATTACK.”

And that’s where I get my strength back.

That’s where I find the fight. That’s where the music sinks into my bones and the metaphor of enduring and conquering this difficult workout mirrors enduring and conquering every hard thing I’ve ever done in my life. That’s where I remember how strong I really am. How powerful I can really be. And how much gumption it has taken to get me through the tough stuff I’ve faced.

Life has a way of knocking you down. It does that to all of us. But just like we learn in all those fight movies and all those inspirational scenes from Rocky, it’s not about how many times you get knocked down. It’s not about how messy it was. It’s not about how hard the fight was and how hard you got hit. It’s not even about how long it took you stand back up.

It’s about that you did stand back up. It’s about that you did fight. You did survive. You stood up more times than you got knocked out, and that’s the power of your strength. That’s the spirit of your heart. That’s the beauty of the attack.

I feel like I have been in attack mode for the last several years.

Self preservation. Survival.

I’ve fought many battles. I’ve felt defeated many times. I’ve wanted to surrender many times. I’ve become weary and exhausted. I’ve wanted to lay down and say, “That’s it. That’s all I’ve got.”

And then the music changes.

Something inside me whispers, “Come on! We’re going into the attack.”

At the exact right moment, God puts His arms around me and says, “I’ve got you. Let’s do this!”

I tell my heart to beat again. I remind my lungs to breathe again. I dig down into the depths of my guts; the place my faith lives, and I remember that I am a fighter. I remember what I’ve been through and that I didn’t get through all of that just to give up now. I remember who I belong to and who is fighting with and for me. I remember who I am fighting for. And I move into the attack.

Stronger. More centered. More focused. More grounded.

The attack isn’t always about a physical fight. In fact, most times, it’s not about the physical at all.

While there are aspects of any battle that affect you physically, the attack is about your mind. It’s about your heart. It’s a mindset. A way of being.

A mentality that says, “This will not defeat me. I will rise through this.” It’s the moment you decide to keep going rather than quit. It’s taking hold of the belief that you are worth the effort. That you deserve more than whatever it is that’s knocking you over. It’s the thing inside of you that, no matter how many times you’ve been knocked down, calls you to overcome. It’s the authority within you that speaks to your heart and says, “Right now, you’ve got to PUMP!”

There is so much beauty in those moments.

Those are the moments we come alive.

I cried at the end of the insanity workout because at the tail end of that 45 minutes, when the music shifted and I moved from a state of physical fight to a position of mental attack, it felt like every hard, exhausting, devastating, defeating thing I’ve ever faced rising up inside of me one more time. Everything I had, I gave it all.

In many ways, I am in the midst of one of the most challenging fights I’ve ever faced. Some days, I feel like it bowls me over. Some days I have no fight left. Some days I feel like I’ve lost.

And then the music changes.

“We’re going into the attack.”

And I come back to life. I find my strength again. It may not be pretty or smooth, and it definitely won’t be easy. But I am reminded that I am equipped with all I need to do this. To rise. To succeed. To be enough. To finish strong. To not be defeated.

You’re equipped too. It’s inside you. Everything you need sits within you. We can allow things to steal our fight and overtake us, or, we can go into the attack and rise stronger.

Whether it’s finishing a workout, making it through to the end of a day, surviving a brutal relationship situation, healing from wounds acquired in previous battles; whatever it is, you have the power to do it. You aren’t battling alone. Listen to the shift in music, find your inner Rocky, and attack it.

You only have to rise one more time than you fell. That’s the beauty in the attack.