Motivation Monday: you CAN
Program note(I’ve always wanted to say that!):
We’re changing things up a bit starting this week. We’re starting a new posting schedule, and I think you’ll like it. The schedule will go like this: Motivation Monday, True Confessions Tuesday, Weigh-in Wednesday, Thursday’s 3’s, Fitness, Friday, The Saturday Review, and Recipe Sunday.
So, see? We’ve added some here, switched others to there, kept some the same. This is the last few days of 2009, the last few days of this decade…are you excited?! I know we are!!
So, with that, I give you Motivation Monday…
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A part of me will always be that 206 pound girl. It’s something that never really has left me. Even though, I now have regained control of my health, there’s a small part of me that will always be the girl that I was a bit over 2 years ago. Some people say that we should forget the past, throw who we were away, but I disagree. I want to hold on to her. Keep her tucked away in the back of my mind. I never want to forget who I was because if I were to do that, I would forget how far I’ve come. I would forget that I overcame so many obstacles to get to this point, and most importantly I would forget that I CAN do anything.
There is no way to express to you how much I dislike the word “can’t”. Especially when working out and trying to get healthy. It really kind of makes me want to stick a fork in my eye. You add the phrase, “I just don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” and I’m ready to take that fork, stick it in my brain and twist.
Now obviously there are some things that I “can’t” do. I’m 5ft3in tall, dunking a basketball is never going to happen. I can’t wiggle my ears now matter how hard I try. And I’m pretty sure that it’s just not in my cards to ever win the U.S. Open. (tennis, not golf.) Also, if my doctor says I can’t do it, I listen.
I understand that there are things that your doctors tell you that’ you’re not allowed to do, and in those cases, please listen to your doctors. I also know there are things that you may be physically incapable of doing, BUT if you’re just saying you “can’t” or that “you’re not ready for that yet” because it looks hard or scary, please explain to me why you’re holding yourself back. (And I want no excuses.)
Look, I know this journey is hard. I’m still on it. I’ve been where you are. I used to say that there’s no way I can run. But what I was really saying was “I don’t want to run.” I used to look at a work out DVD and say, there’s no way I can do THAT! It looks hard! But what I was really saying was, “I’m afraid to give a shot because what if I *gasp* fail?”
The thing I learned was, it wasn’t that I couldn’t do those things. It was that I was out of shape. I was overweight. I was unhealthy. So, could I run 3 miles on Day 1? No. But I COULD run for maybe 30 seconds. Then the day after that I could challenge myself to double that. OR, if you’re the work out DVD type, could I do the whole routine without stopping the first day? Nope. I took lots of breaks at first, and as I got into shape, I built the endurance to do a whole work out.
Now, if someone says, “Hey, you want to run a 5K this weekend?” I say, “Let’s do it!” (Okay fine, I may grumble a little at the 5K because I still am working on the liking to run thing, but I’ll run the 5K.) Or if I see a new hard work out DVD program on the market, I’ll do anything to try to get my hands on it. I know now that I can do just about anything that isn’t physically impossible for me to. If I fail, I fail. I’ll pick myself up and try again.
So, if *I* can go from being THAT person who said she couldn’t, to the person that says, “Bring it on!”, why can’t you? You CAN. If I can lose 60 lbs, then why can’t you? You CAN. If I can run a 5K and challenge myself to run a half marathon, then why can’t you? You CAN.
If you’re holding yourself back, and limiting yourself to just the things you think you can do, then you’re closing the door to a world of opportunities, and why in the world would you want to do that? Don’t.
We have a new challenge starting here this week, and if you’re one of those people who says, “I can’t” then I challenge you right now to stop holding yourself back, join us, and say “I CAN”. Because you can.
