Staying motivated for the sake of staying motivated… How’s that for a passion driven life? How is that for a motivated start to the New Year? How is that for keeping things in perspective and trying to stick to my master plan?
Well, it’s what I am doing. I am working on keeping my promises to myself. And most recently I actually have been sticking to my guns about staying active three time weekly. The best part about this… I AM ENJOYING IT! I have never been one to workout, when everyone was doing it I shunned it, joining the “right” gym because of the sweet amenities or following the latest fad because it was just that… A fad. However, I have consciously decided to stop making decisions based on the popular vote and rather start making them based on my likes, dislikes and interests. Seems I’ve been judging things just because too many people were liking them.
Much to my chagrin, I am loving being active. I am enjoying feeling my muscles in use. And I rather like getting lost in activity for a period of time three times a week. It is wonderfully fulfilling and awesomely motivating. Yesterday I ran 5.69 miles, surprisingly it was enjoyable. Not because it was easy, that it wasn’t. But rather because it proved to me that I am able to push my body, push it hard and survive. That I am able to dedicate an hour to myself occasionally. That I can struggle through a hill, that I can feel pain in my toes and that I can struggle with my rotten hips and still come out just a bit stronger.
Now I focus on my fitness and not because everyone else is doing it, but rather because it is exactly what I want to be doing. I still don’t eat healthy and maybe I never will. I’m not in this to build a body that the rest of the world would envy, that is perfect in every way… I’m in this specifically to feel better about myself. And eating pasta, cookies, cake and cheese dip makes me feel good about me too.
I find that this is the way I migrate into any long lasting routine… It starts with quite a lot of resistance. Then there is that breaking point where my curiosity and my desire get the best of me. It is at that point that I usually break. A perfect example of this was my resistance in seeking an iPhone. I didn’t want one solely due to the evangelists. It took me forever to get an iPhone, I now will never turn back. It is not because of the evangelists, but rather it is because it is self serving, I enjoy my phone.
It so often seems that in life I get in my own way. I stop myself from wanting, exploring, learning & trying things solely due to the story I’ve made up in my head. And what I’ve found about this year, these resolutions, these changes in my life, right now… Is that I am getting out of my own way. Judgements and opinions can be created once I explore my options, once I try a gym, new food, latest fad and once I determine if it works for me…
January’s challenge try four things that I have previously judged with no opinion and make up MY mind about it. Not because of what I’ve determined to be true, but rather because of what I’ve experienced as my truth.