Autopilot

We can find ourselves in situations where reality is no more than a burden needed to be shrugged off our shoulders. For that there is autopilot. You attain it by getting many hard, vigorous work outs under your belt. You've gone through the motions, you know the technique to use, and you employ it.

When you have muscle, breathing, counting, and overall technique down, you can slip into an autopilot state in which you perform flawlessly. Starting Week 6 of the push-up program, on day 2 and day 3 of every week, you must complete 9 sets. It's OK to be dead after the 8th set because you can do the 9th on autopilot.

You get in position for the set, breathe, count, and perform. Those three things don't require a real-time intelligence. You can wipe your mind clean of any thoughts and just submerge yourself underwater. It's like being on clouds, like being dead, like being in the middle of the ocean.

Once you learn how your body performs and what it can handle, you should be able to know what is and isn't attainable, and if you see something that's attainable, then you can have it. The downside would be injury if you've gone too far beyond what you can handle, but you should be able to feel out that process.