THE LOOP
Josh

Beethoven

Fun fact! The pinky finger contributes over 50% of the hand’s strength. Let that sink in for a second - that little guy contributes over 50% of the hand's strength. A few years ago, I experienced firsthand what it was like to live with an injured pinky, and learned how useful it is. Throughout the course of seven days I couldn’t make a fist, I couldn’t grasp a mug or door handle, typing sucked, and writing was a pain in the behind. In other words, life became 100 times more difficult because of that little guy.

 

Sometimes what may seem like the weakest part of you, can sometimes turn out to be the thing that makes you the strongest. Beethoven is a great example. By the time he was 45 years old, Beethoven was already completely deaf. Instead of giving up on what he loved to do, he adapted to the situation and embraced it. Beethoven had to rely on different methods and “his inner ear” to compose music. He gave himself more freedom when it came to composing, and came up with his own “style” of music. Many of his most popular pieces, like the Ninth Symphony, were composed while he was completely deaf. Don’t overlook your weaknesses -- embrace them, you might end up surprising yourself at what you can end up accomplishing.  

 

Cassidy

40%

Trevor's out sick today, soooo...I'm baaaack! (For a day)

 

Have you ever heard of the Navy Seal 40% rule? It goes like this: when your mind is ready to give up, when you feel like you have nothing else to give, it's at that point that your body is really only at 40% of its total capacity. (Yes, this has actually been proven - it's not just a theory.)

 

So the next time that you're ready to give up at the gym or on a long run, remember that your body is capable of SO much more. When your mind is telling you no (s/o R. Kelly), your body has another ~60% to give. Use this knowledge to push yourself further, harder, and longer than you ever have before and see what your breakthrough looks like on the other side of that 40%

 

 

Brandi

Martin Luther King, Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day that we celebrated yesterday, I wanted to post a few less commonly known facts about the civil rights leader’s life that History.com posted. (To read the full article for more specifics on each fact go to http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-martin-luther-king-jr)

 

  1. King’s birth name was Michael, not Martin. 
  2. King entered college at the age of 15.
  3. King received his doctorate in systematic theology.
  4. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was not his first at the Lincoln Memorial.
  5. King was imprisoned nearly 30 times.
  6. King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt a decade before his death.
  7. King’s last public speech foretold his death.
  8. Members of King’s family did not believe James Earl Ray acted alone.
  9. King’s mother was also slain by a bullet.
  10. George Washington is the only other American to have had his birthday observed as a national holiday.