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 "Step
by step. I can't think of any other way of accomplishing
anything." ~ Michael Jordan
Sometimes we need to take a giant leap to move
forward. And at other times it's all about the
small daily actions we take to get us where we
want to be. Whatever we do is perfectly fine,
as long as we are in motion. One woman commented
how she knows she should be internally motivated
to get out and exercise on her own, but for her
she needs an accountability buddy to get going.
And that is great! It's all about honoring where
you are and what works for you and going for it.
It's not about what we 'should' be thinking or
doing- it's about looking where we're at and starting
from there. And often it's about changing our
beliefs.
If you are someone who wants to get started on
something new, and haven't started yet, take a
look at what you want to do- is it something that
excites you, or does the idea turn you off? Maybe
you've set too big a step to start with- maybe
there's a babystep you can take to get you on
your way.
When I decided to add regular exercise to my
life, my exercise commitment was to walk 2 coffee
breaks a week. That was big for me- it was 2 coffee
breaks more exercise than I was getting previously.
I gradually added in more walks and started going
to the gym. When my walking buddy said 'let's
start running!' I thought she was crazy! I honestly
believed I couldn't run. I had no physical impairment,
just a belief that I couldn't. (I was smart- my
brother was athletic!).That summer, we joined
a Ladies Learn to run group. We ran 3 times a
week for eight weeks, and at the end of 8 weeks
ran a 5km Race. That was incredible to me!
After the race I stopped running until the winter
when we joined a walk/run clinic that promised
in 12 weeks I could run 10 km! That seemed impossible
to me, so I concentrated on doing the weekly assignments
only. I couldn't look at the big picture. The
first one was run 30 seconds, walk 4.5 minutes
for 7 times. By week 6 we were running 3 minutes,
walking 2, and I felt like I was dying! I didn't
think I could do it, and wanted to drop out. I
couldn't breathe, felt like I was suffocating,
had sore knees, sore calves- my running coach
told me I was fine, nothing was wrong with me
and to continue. I did. I believe in following
through with my commitments, so ran 3 times a
week even though I hated it. And at the end of
12 weeks I ran 10 k! And something happened- I
went from hating running to actually enjoying
it, and continued on.
At the beginning it took all my energy to complete
each session. That's as far ahead as I could look-
just doing the 3 runs a week. Not looking forward
to the longer distances, just one session at a
time. Persisting, carrying on. One step at a time.
Once I broke through the barrier of believing
I couldn't run, I started to enjoy it. The first
year my highlight was running a 10 k. The next
year I ran a half marathon, the third I ran a
full marathon in Honolulu in December- and it
all started with making the commitment to walk
2 coffee breaks.
My challenge to you is to start something you've
been putting off with a baby step. Be consistent
in your actions and see how far it takes you!
Too often we overestimate what we can do in a
short period, and underestimate what we can do
over a longer time. It all begins with putting
one foot in front of the other, and taking it
one step at a time. Cheers to you!
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