Does motivation = sacrifice?
It’s been one of those great weeks, my friends! My diet has been spot on, my workouts have been strong, and my life brings me joy! We all go through fits-n-starts, do we not? Days and/or weeks that just SUCK, and we wonder why we even bother striving for something that sometimes either seems unattainable or not really worth the effort. When I look at everything I do, personally, to achieve the goals I desire, I think, "GIRL, YOU’RE CRAZY!
I used to be a "junk food junkie". There weren’t many fast food joints I would drive past; rather I would "drive thru" and pick up a Big Smack with a side of trans fats. How did I get from there to where I am today? It’s not that I don’t desire or crave that fast food anymore, ’cause I do!, my mindset if just…..different. I don’t think about the immediate "buzz" I will get from that food, instead, I think about how it will effect my body tomorrow and the next day. Will my abs "pop", my biceps "peak", and my quads "sweep" tomorrow if I have the Big Smack today? Is it a "sacrifice" to NOT hit that drive thru?
I no longer can answer that question "Yes!" Is it will-power, dedication, motivation, hindsight, vision, perfectionism, confidence, or strength that allow me to drive past that "drive thru" and not feel the pang (or pain) of loss, of "missing out" somehow?
I’m not sure what it is. I think, in general, it’s that what I’m striving for is so much bigger than the minutiae of those moments of pleasure borne by consuming that junk. Do I still enjoy a "treat" now and again? Yes. Do I experience guilt for it? No.
This week has been an epiphany for me. I AM motivated, and I feel strong and proud of the decisions that I have to make each and every minute of every day to achieve the results I am seeking. When I reach those goals, what will I do? I’m really not sure and, at times, it scares me. But life experience tells me that I will set new goals, make new decisions and continue on this path that I have chosen….or has it chosen me?
This is who I am, what I do, these are the decisions that I gladly make, and each and every day is a new beginning. NEVER a sacrifice. Stay motivated, my friends!!
P.S. I can’t promise that next week will be a "great" one, but I can promise that I will learn something about who I am and what "sacrifices" I am willing to make to reach my goals. I continuously learn that it IS worth it and I am proud of the choices I make each day!
February 6, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Your post is spot on.
I still struggle, but right now I feel like I’m halfway there.
I think your post just gave me a kick in the butt though!
Thanks for sharing. =)
February 6, 2009 at 9:19 pm
HELL YEAH!
I just posted something similar maybe 2 days ago. There are those times when it feels like, ‘why am I doing this. Who am I kidding?….’
As long as we keep at it, we’ll get there. Keep up that motivation! Im sure someone is feeding off of it right now to get their ass back in the gym!
February 7, 2009 at 9:44 am
Brooke, when you say to yourself
"When I look at everything I do, personally, to achieve the goals I desire, I think, "GIRL, YOU’RE CRAZY!"
the fact is, you are crazy. You are crazy about who you are at this point in your life and that is worth celebrating.
You have worked hard to get to the person who stares back at you from the mirror. That smile you see is because you did drive past the drive-thru. That smile you see is because of all the crazy effort you put in at the gym. Those muscles are your’s and to get them you endured the pain of lifting. Only a crazy girl would inflict that type of pain on herself and top it off with clean eating. Oh yeah, you are crazy and I hope you never get sane. You will motivate both women and men with your hard work, sweat, dedication and perseverance. Keep on moving forward. Who knows, maybe one day you will be writing a book to help others do the same. It is obvious from reading your blogs, that you have the ability to write.
February 18, 2009 at 11:21 am
Well said and very encouraging. You rock and thank you for the encouragement.