Thanks to a run in with my past a few days ago, I found myself running in circles and found myself at a crossroads. Somewhere between the starting line and the starting line, I realized that I had done the same thing a hundred times and always expected a different outcome.
We know what that behavior defines.
I sat with myself in silence, thoughts swirling in my head at a record pace. I looked around at my apartment and saw the photos of my beloved grandparents, my amazing family of friends, my incredible dog and myself with Mohammed Ali and The President. My life had been an incredible journey, full of awe-inspiring and joyful moments with plenty of pain and heartache along the way. “Which parts did you like best, Brenda?” I asked myself (yes, I talk to myself. So do you. Don’t judge).
The answer was obvious. Yet, I had a few habits and thought-patterns that were preventing me from moving away from unnecessary stress and heartache. There was also the fact that I had been working so much that I had started to neglect important parts of my health, sleeping too little and cutting my workouts short as a result of waking up too late (which caused me to start my days in a race-against-time panic).
I decided then and there to change. No epiphany, just a decision. I would live as I wanted to live and gave myself until January 1 to get to the level I wanted to be operating on. I would finally have the body I had secretly wanted to achieve, I would go Paleo to ensure that I was getting enough nutrients (and it helps you get fit like nothing else) and I would cut out those who had gone from comforting to corrosive just like that.
Now, all of this sounds great, but let’s be real; it’s hard to keep this kind of momentum a week into project (enter your name here) 2.0. I knew I needed sponsors. I reached out to a few friends (and my mentor) and explained my plan.
“That will be so easy for you because you’re a rock star,” said my girlfriend.
“You have done that before, two years ago. You know how to do it. Easy,” said my ex of the body challenge.
“You better get it, girl!” said my mentor.
I am not quite sure why but I was both encouraged and surprised by their faith in me. I also knew that I had to do what I said I would do. I am not a fan of embarrassment and suffice it to say I can be a little competitive. In the days that followed, I found myself moving in a new direction. On the first day, I ran 5 miles. The second day, I went grocery shopping, bought plenty of healthy foods, ran into someone who used to make my heart race, then hurt, only to find myself feeling sorry for them this time around. I also deleted a few numbers of people I didn’t need to know anymore.
The third day, I got caught up with work and signed up for Yoga.
Not surprisingly, each action served as a step forward, movement into a new direction and further into the best chapter of my life so far. As usual, each step helped build the confidence to take the one that followed. That’s how this stuff goes.
Crawl-Stand-Walk-Jog-Run-Sprint.
Why not get a head start on your own resolutions? We can do it together.
And make no mistake, we can do it, whatever it is.
