The difference between success and failure is desire. The desire to get to the end game, knowing there will be good days and bad. The ability to get on with things, even if you really do t feel like it, drives you to success.
The past week or two had been slightly more difficult for me. I’m closing in on my goal of 100 workouts before my holiday, with some room to spare, which means I could slow down the pace a little. I’ve also not seen a huge amount of progress is happening when I’m looking in the mirror, or on the scales. All of these factors combined mean my motivation to work out has been impacted. I’ve felt like having excuses, or using the “I’ll do it tomorrow” reasoning, which is the key element of failure I’ve found in the past. If I leave something until tomorrow, I’ll often put it off again and again until the thought is a distant memory.
Instead of making excuses, or putting things off, I’ve instead just done the work anyway. I’ve got my gym kit on and gone to work out, or out for a run, even though I really didn’t want to. I figure that if I don’t, I’ll feel bad about it later, so may as well dislike the workout than the feeling of not doing it. The sessions aren’t any easier with this mindset, and I don’t find them more fulfilling either. Instead, I just get to put another number up. Another step towards the goal that always feels further away than I’ve come so far. The only motivation can come from always knowing that the bigger goal gets a step closer every time I make a good choice, and that making a bad choice has the opposite effect.
By working through the lack of motivation, I have pushed myself more, as every workout needs to be a challenge to promote growth. I am now running a full 4.3k without walking. Probably not a huge achievement for many, but considering I hate running and do it once a week at best, I’m very pleased to be doing the best I ever have at this. I’ve also managed to increase my weights further so I continue to further stress my muscles.
I’m only human. I have doubts. I have trouble not seeing progress. The call of pizza, cake and a sit down still ring loud in my ears. I just try to remember that to have a magazine body takes time and effort. The time and effort you don’t see. All we get to see is the end result in others, without knowing the challenge, trials, self doubt, and failures along the way. I will get the success, but hope that readers of this can see the journey, time and pushing through challenges that leads to that success.
