We were in the middle of a tough CrossFit workout the other day, and something went wrong with the music. I’m not sure what happened—maybe the Internet or the speakers weren’t functioning properly. Whatever the reason, the music kept cutting in and out. Near the end of the workout, the music stopped completely.

People started to complain. “I need that music back on!” “Where’s the music?” “C’mon!! Let’s get that music fixed ASAP!”

On some level, we were relying on the music to get us pumped up and give us energy to get through our workout.

I get it. I love having the music cranked to 10 when I’m working out. There’s something about having a good beat that helps me shift into a higher gear.

Relying on Externals

But that day, the music wasn’t working. I started to think about how often we rely on externals in our life.

The workout was one example. Why am I reliant on a certain type of music to work out? As I went through my day, other examples popped into my mind. When I was driving, I couldn’t find my way to the store without the GPS on my iPhone. I have a comfy memory foam mattress and pillow, but it makes it more difficult to sleep well if I’m on a crappy mattress. When my laptop broke down, it was an emergency. And so on.

Avoid Dependence on Externals

It’s okay to have nice things and enjoy the small luxuries in life. But let’s be careful of becoming too reliant on external circumstances. Every now and again, it can be a good idea to experiment with taking away some of the externals in our life to avoid becoming too dependent on them. Make sure your core sense of happiness and well-being is focused on things you can control.