on doing the damn thing

I used to almost never workout.

Now I love working out. I crave it, I’m competitive and determined to finish my week’s training schedule, I lift four times a week, I enjoy Zumba and walks and (very occasional) hikes…

What changed?

I reached a point I no longer wanted to tolerate, not only in how my body was feeling and looking but also how my mind was feeling and operating.

I tried something new. This is a big one. We have to be open to new possibilities and trying things in order for change to happen.

I committed to something big, and I started learning how to let small things add up over time.

I kept going even when I didn’t feel like it.

I found something I LOVE (powerlifting)… which means more often than not, I frequently actually do feel like it!

I also found support, community, and an identity I truly wanted for myself.

I’m proud of my progress and emotionally invested in my future.

I workout and feel so much better.

I see my body changing, still (though more slowly now than at first). I see my muscles growing.

Sometimes I still really don’t want to pick myself up out of bed in the dark at 4:15 in the morning to go to the gym, or on days I’ve planned to go after work instead of in the early morning, sometimes I feel way too tired and unmotivated by the time I get home from my big day… but I never, ever regret training. Even when I don’t feel like it.

The doing makes the feelings better.

Find whatever your thing is that lets you feel better for having done it, almost one hundred percent of the time, almost without fail.

This doesn’t mean there won’t be hard days. This doesn’t mean there are no challenges (there will aaaaaaalllways be challenges. No matter what. Hello, world.). This doesn’t mean you will enjoy every second or always rush to do the thing that’s good for you.

It just means you will have something (maybe multiple things) in your life that reliably lift you up and help you be better. It builds meaning into your days and how you spend your time. It’s one way to take care yourself — both now and for the future.

So figure out what this is for you. Then do the damn thing. Keep doing it. Trust. ❤️