Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Week 10: Journey


“Maybe stop trying so hard to find shortcuts to “hack” your life.  The best things are hard.  Invest in the journey.  Just sayin’.”  --Rich Roll

******

Last week I posted what I believe are the “secrets” to my fitness success, but I still have moments of disbelief that I’ve come as far as I have.  As I’ve stated before, I’ve attempted this journey numerous times and ended up failing every single time.  However, there is something different this time around, but up until I read a post on Rich Roll’s blog, I couldn’t quite figure out what that “something” was.  Reading “Why You Should Stop Lifehacking and Invest In the Journey” gave me sudden insight, and now I know why this journey is turning out to be different than all the others:  this time I’m more focused on the experiences along the way rather than the final goal.

The first time I tried to seriously lose weight I was in middle school, the gimmick that time around was protien shakes in the morning and “sensible meals” in the afternoon and evening.  In high school it was an expensive weight loss plan that required plan meals and weekly meetings.  In my early adulthood it was another fad diet, and then another the time after that.  I didn’t care how I did it, I just wanted the weight gone and all I ever thought about was what life was going to be like when I reached my final goal.  Had I only needed to lose ten or twenty pounds that might have been okay, but the last few times I’ve needed to lose well over one hundred.   

Can you see where this is going?  I was so focused on the destination that I wasn’t paying attention to the journey.  I wasn’t noticing the progress that I was making in the present.  I was only focusing on the fact that after months of dieting, exercise, and calorie counting I still wasn’t even halfway to my final goal.  I started to feel frustrated, and then I felt like a failure, and that little voice in my head started to tell me it was time to stop, because obviously I couldn’t make it, so why bother keep trying?  I gave up and went back to my old habits, because even if I was a failure, at least I could eat what I wanted.

I realized after reading Rich’s blog post that things are very different with me now.  I had the revelation that at some point I stopped focusing on the finish line.  That shift in focus changed my entire experience, and suddenly the journey was more important than how quickly I reached my goal.  I realize now that I am NOT a failure.  Quite the contrary, I’ve made amazing progress over the last nine months.  I’ve lost over 90 pounds.  I’m doing just as much running as I am walking.  I’ve lost six clothing sizes.  I’ve made REAL progress.  Now I can actually recognize that because this time around I am focused on the present rather than the far future.  I’m celebrating every small victory NOW, whether it be a two pound weight loss or the fact that I’m capable of running longer intervals compared to what I was running just two weeks ago.

Of course I do still care about my final weight and fitness goals.  I’m looking forward to entirely replacing my wardrobe and someday qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  But how fast I get there no longer matters to me as much as enjoying my daily progress and the important lessons I’m learning along the way.  I’ll give that final destination all the attention it deserves . . . when I arrive there, and not a moment before.

No comments:

Post a Comment