Motivation, so I have learned, is an evil, cynical mistress. It can be with you in one moment and leave you for dead the very next. It is invigorating and perplexing all at the same time. It is not always to be trusted but, when it is working in high gear, can often be your best friend. Often, when I think about why I run, often for a sense of motivation, I have to take myself back to the beginning... What got me started with running in the first place?
For the better part of my rational life, the amount of difficulty I had with "life-stuff" was legendary. Not only did I not have an avenue through which to relieve that stress but neither did I have the mental clarity to even form the necessary logical thoughts to solve any of my own problems. Running was, initially for me, a place to hide from the demons of my past. It was my own little vacuum-based world in which I could solve all of the world's (i.e. my) problems while having what would appear to the outsider as almost schizophrenic conversations with myself. This, for me, was revolutionary. Running, at least for me, is perhaps the best way for me to clear out my "mental inbox." I can solve many of the problems [at least temporarily] with which I may be plagued or, at the very least, think them through more coherently.
But enough about me...
There will be days when, whether with a group or on your own, when you will find it something next to unbearable to lace up your shoes to go out for a run. Allow me, however, to offer up to you that is the time when you need to get out there, more than perhaps any other. But how you go about moving yourself from being sedentary to running is the question.
The late Steve Prefontaine once said: "You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
Really, few other sentiments in the world sum up running quite like that. The purpose of running is metaphysical just as much as it is physical. It is the glue that can sometimes hold the few pieces of your life together in just such a way like nothing else can. Running is your best friend when no one else can or will listen. It is your time, for you. Running allows you the opportunity not only to flush out all of the negativity that this insanely condescending world has to offer but also, in the next stride, can offer you the greatest sense of satisfaction for achieving something that your mind told you to skip. Powerful stuff, indeed.
Motivation is something that is inside of all of us. It hides often when we need it most and, when we have it, can be the most infectious thing this side of the common cold. It is the former that deserves a long and close inflection. Find within yourself the reasons that brought you to running in the first place and I would be willing to bet you will find your motivation to continue down that road and on your journey towards many goals and a longer, happier life.
09 January 2009
07 January 2009
No one is perfect
We see it all the time, whether it be on television, in print media, and just in our everyday lives. It is rubbed in our faces like a big and brazen symbol of that which many of us strive to be, albeit for better or for worse. Perfection is something dangling out there like a carrot that is rotten to the core. Sure, it is appealing on the outside and may even seem somewhat good for you, but on the inside is nothing more than a disappointing emptiness that leaves you with a further sense of desperation than that which which you started.
It can be infuriating, without question. The images portrayed of physical perfection are just that: images. Like a great comic strip, the point is made, but the substance is a bit lacking.
So I say: "So what?"
It is not only impractical but I would argue that it is counterproductive to think for one single solitary moment that anyone can be absolutely perfect with regard to dietary plan, physical activity, and the rest of the self-care elements.
There mere thought of doing something other than that which is perceived to be perfect strikes a sense of fear in some the likes of which I cannot comprehend. It is almost as if you can be your own worst critic... on steroids. Now, while I am not an expert in anything other than falling off the wagon only to climb back on, I will quickly point out that this sort of militancy will put you on a road to failure sooner than ignoring your self-care altogether. If your notion of self-care is filled within nothing other than thoughts of perfection, you have no room for "life stuff." That is, you have no wiggle room to live. By clamping yourself into the mindset of perfection in all places and at all times, you paint yourself into a corner from which you may never be able to recover.
That is not to say that I am giving clear credence to making less than idea choices on a regular basis. Far from it. Reaching your self-care goals has nothing to do with beating yourself into submission with rigid standards that are, for want of a better word, unsustainable and impossible to maintain. Self-care does not come from a nice and neat little bottle or other seemingly benign package promising you a wonderful if not dramatic cleanse in ten days. What a properly developed and maintained self-care plan will offer you, however, is the ability to live the rest of your life far from the fear and trepidation that comes with the false sense of needing to be perfect.
Self-care is not perfect. If it were, you may not be reading this and I may not have written it. You, at the same time, are perfect in your own way. You and your self-care plan can be perfect for you, together. Making better decisions with regard to foods and activity are just the beginning. Perfection, for me, is finding that almost ethereal balance of making sure my body gets what it needs to be effective with running and, perhaps more importantly, the rest of my life.
Free your mind of the thoughts of perfection: whether you feel you do not run fast enough, your waist is not slender enough, you feel you are not able to eat like someone else, or whatever the case may be... Life your life for you, by the best self-care plan you can develop. Life happens.
Self-care is a learning experience just as much as it is a way of life. You will learn great things about yourself that, if you had opted to take a shiny packaged way out, you may not have known. Errors in judgment happen and are generally unavoidable. Just remember that if you fall, make sure you are face up, because if you can look up, you can get up.
Be well.
It can be infuriating, without question. The images portrayed of physical perfection are just that: images. Like a great comic strip, the point is made, but the substance is a bit lacking.
So I say: "So what?"
It is not only impractical but I would argue that it is counterproductive to think for one single solitary moment that anyone can be absolutely perfect with regard to dietary plan, physical activity, and the rest of the self-care elements.
There mere thought of doing something other than that which is perceived to be perfect strikes a sense of fear in some the likes of which I cannot comprehend. It is almost as if you can be your own worst critic... on steroids. Now, while I am not an expert in anything other than falling off the wagon only to climb back on, I will quickly point out that this sort of militancy will put you on a road to failure sooner than ignoring your self-care altogether. If your notion of self-care is filled within nothing other than thoughts of perfection, you have no room for "life stuff." That is, you have no wiggle room to live. By clamping yourself into the mindset of perfection in all places and at all times, you paint yourself into a corner from which you may never be able to recover.
That is not to say that I am giving clear credence to making less than idea choices on a regular basis. Far from it. Reaching your self-care goals has nothing to do with beating yourself into submission with rigid standards that are, for want of a better word, unsustainable and impossible to maintain. Self-care does not come from a nice and neat little bottle or other seemingly benign package promising you a wonderful if not dramatic cleanse in ten days. What a properly developed and maintained self-care plan will offer you, however, is the ability to live the rest of your life far from the fear and trepidation that comes with the false sense of needing to be perfect.
Self-care is not perfect. If it were, you may not be reading this and I may not have written it. You, at the same time, are perfect in your own way. You and your self-care plan can be perfect for you, together. Making better decisions with regard to foods and activity are just the beginning. Perfection, for me, is finding that almost ethereal balance of making sure my body gets what it needs to be effective with running and, perhaps more importantly, the rest of my life.
Free your mind of the thoughts of perfection: whether you feel you do not run fast enough, your waist is not slender enough, you feel you are not able to eat like someone else, or whatever the case may be... Life your life for you, by the best self-care plan you can develop. Life happens.
Self-care is a learning experience just as much as it is a way of life. You will learn great things about yourself that, if you had opted to take a shiny packaged way out, you may not have known. Errors in judgment happen and are generally unavoidable. Just remember that if you fall, make sure you are face up, because if you can look up, you can get up.
Be well.
05 January 2009
What would we be left with if not for challenges?
It is not unusual at all, really, to think about how someone else may "have it better" or how your journey seems, at least on the surface, to be so much more difficult than just about anyone else's. I am here to tell you, my friends, that these challenges not only build character (just like your Mother told you so many times) in a very hardened fast way, but they also give you the grand opportunity to truly revel in your accomplishments as you begin to achieve your goals.
Let's bring this back into focus for a moment. Running, on some days, is not fun for me. I offer to you this sentiment... there is NO bigger challenge on days which you have dedicated to running than to actually lace up the shoes and get out the door. The mere thought of running, the notion of lacing up a pair of odd looking shoes to meander down through some neighborhoods, has been known to gnaw at my very last nerve from time to time. There are times when it is nothing short of a chore that could be synonymous with cleaning out the gutters of my house or cleaning out a chicken coup. Of course, not all running days are like this for me. Daily stresses, instigators, other do-badders who insist, albeit unknowingly, to ruin my day just enough so that the thought of running does not come before the thought of a soothing Gin and Tonic. Yes, my friends... Running is evil. That is, of course, until I finish the run.
Sitting down to the supper table is no different. In fact, challenges are more prevalent here than anywhere else as we eat a whole lot more often than we run. There are and will continue to be those who will tell you that you can eat and drink whatever you like and your running will "balance it out." Yeah, that has worked not so well for me over the years. We are often bombarded with thoughts and opinions on how, what, where, and why to eat... I am absolutely certain that the infomercials, books, television programs, product placements, and the like are not, in any way, aimed to take money out of your pocket in an egregious way.
Putting all of the elements to a good self-care plan into place is difficult, to say the least. It is much akin to creating your own language, from scratch. You have to develop your own terms that are relevant to that which you want to achieve, assemble those terms in a way that means something to you and, hopefully, to those around you and, perhaps most importantly, you want it all to make sense. In reality, that is easier said than done when it comes to this journey.
You may have been told or will be told at some point along your journey that this hill is too steep to climb. Well, I doubt that. I have told you already and I will tell you again... Your biggest challenge, really, has been conquered. Like it or not, you are a runner. You made the decision that your prior life-ways are no longer in line with your current self-care plan.
The best part of this whole thing? Not only have you invested time and effort into yourself and your future, but you have surrounded yourself with many like-minded people. Allow me to welcome you to your built-in support system.
Going forward, both literally and figuratively, you will never walk alone.
Be well.
Let's bring this back into focus for a moment. Running, on some days, is not fun for me. I offer to you this sentiment... there is NO bigger challenge on days which you have dedicated to running than to actually lace up the shoes and get out the door. The mere thought of running, the notion of lacing up a pair of odd looking shoes to meander down through some neighborhoods, has been known to gnaw at my very last nerve from time to time. There are times when it is nothing short of a chore that could be synonymous with cleaning out the gutters of my house or cleaning out a chicken coup. Of course, not all running days are like this for me. Daily stresses, instigators, other do-badders who insist, albeit unknowingly, to ruin my day just enough so that the thought of running does not come before the thought of a soothing Gin and Tonic. Yes, my friends... Running is evil. That is, of course, until I finish the run.
Sitting down to the supper table is no different. In fact, challenges are more prevalent here than anywhere else as we eat a whole lot more often than we run. There are and will continue to be those who will tell you that you can eat and drink whatever you like and your running will "balance it out." Yeah, that has worked not so well for me over the years. We are often bombarded with thoughts and opinions on how, what, where, and why to eat... I am absolutely certain that the infomercials, books, television programs, product placements, and the like are not, in any way, aimed to take money out of your pocket in an egregious way.
Putting all of the elements to a good self-care plan into place is difficult, to say the least. It is much akin to creating your own language, from scratch. You have to develop your own terms that are relevant to that which you want to achieve, assemble those terms in a way that means something to you and, hopefully, to those around you and, perhaps most importantly, you want it all to make sense. In reality, that is easier said than done when it comes to this journey.
You may have been told or will be told at some point along your journey that this hill is too steep to climb. Well, I doubt that. I have told you already and I will tell you again... Your biggest challenge, really, has been conquered. Like it or not, you are a runner. You made the decision that your prior life-ways are no longer in line with your current self-care plan.
The best part of this whole thing? Not only have you invested time and effort into yourself and your future, but you have surrounded yourself with many like-minded people. Allow me to welcome you to your built-in support system.
Going forward, both literally and figuratively, you will never walk alone.
Be well.
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About Me
- Dan
- NJ, United States
- A former 355-pound man, Dan has continued his journey, complete with ups and downs, and has begun to devote his life to helping others through their journeys.
