If there are things in life that I find enjoyable ( besides athletic adventures) is coffee and good conversation.
Topics and ideas can abound. I love creative convos as much as I love the deep intellectual or just plain fun ones.
I love the opportunity to be challenged and encouraged by others. Because it’s others who often see things that I don’t, or see my capabilities when I feel weak or inadequate.
Thus went one conversation the other day with a friend. I have been following her new job interests and was asking her some questions about it. We talked about the timing and time frame of schooling and actually beginning to work the “real” job in a full time manner.
Her take was…. if you’re on the path to where you’re going…. you’ll get there. Basically, just keep doing things that are moving you to your goals/job/dream.
Interesting thought. She knows how much I enjoy being able to help, encourage, motivate and challenge people in the ways of health and fitness.
I shared with her some of my struggles in the process and how in wanting to help people there was one thing I couldn’t deliver, which was to do to the work for them.
Which led to an interesting discussion of the work that’s involved to get anywhere or accomplish anything, whether it’s getting a new job, a degree, losing weight or wanting to train for something.
There is a level of determination that has to be there to make changes, to accomplish new things, to be unwilling to stay where you are. No one can place that determination in you, it has to be driven from the depths of who you are.
That determination will drive and lead us to success. It’s almost a birth process we have to go through to achieve what we’re after. If someone did it for us we’d miss out on so much of the journey that would shape us for where we are going.
The journey could be hard. It could make us want to quit, throw in the towel, not push on, but it’s so rewarding when we reach our goals or dreams.
I mentioned that the reason I share and take progress photos is because people who are new to me, or don’t know me, often think I’ve lived in the fitness world and always look like I’ve looked.
When I pull out photos that show me soft and “fluffy” with no muscles that are visible compared to where I am now they can see a journey of progress. Of determination. Of an unwillingness to quit. Of constant, small, daily changes, building new habits and disciplines to get to where I am today.
She assured me this was important for people to see and understand… that they understood it had been a work for me to get where I was at… that it wasn’t something I had always done or simply been “blessed” with.
8 years.
I’ve set goals, hit them, redefined them, crushed them again and kept moving forward. As I’ve gotten stronger on my journey I’ve been able to do more which has led to bigger visions of what I’m capable of.
I think that’s pretty applicable to whatever you have your sights set on. There has to be a constant assessing and redirecting to get to where you’re going.
But do you want it bad enough to really push for it ? Are you willing to invest the time and energy?
The word we both used almost at the same time was this: sacrifice.
Anything worth having involves sacrifice. If you’re on a journey to lose weight or get more fit, it will involve a sacrifice of learning to adjust your eating, learning to train yourself to get up and exercise, learning how to make better choices in your lifestyle.
It isn’t easy. It can often feel hard and be daunting.
The road to success in life, whatever, it is, won’t be easy. And maybe in some ways it shouldn’t be.
We often learn so much about ourselves on the journey, through the struggles, through the disapointments and up’s and down’s of what we are pursuing.
We find our strength, we learn our weaknesses. If we’re stubborn and determined we persevere through it and keep our eyes on the prize.
No matter where you are, or what you seek, don’t give up or quit. Small steps towards your goal will ultimately get you to where you are going.
As our conversation wrapped up I was left with these thoughts in my head about achieving success and nailing goals.
Steps to Success….
- A path. This is the “thing” you want to do.
- The process. What does it take to get to your “thing”?
- Determination. ( no excuses)
- Focus. (single minded)
- Sacrifice. (This is the biggest. It won’t be easy. You will have to be uncomfortable. Give up things. Make different choices)
- Achieve goals. ( the sweetness of victory!)
What steps or process have you used to reach your goals ? When you reached your goal did you feel what you invested to get there was worth it?
sassyfitnesschick 