10 years ago today I ran my first marathon. Sometimes when I look back I amaze myself with the things that I have done, what I have accomplished. I am very goal oriented and so I am usually focused on the future and not on the past. I need to do this more though, I need to look back and acknowledge what I have done and not put so much emphasis on what I haven’t done (yet). Nothing happens overnight and everything I’ve done, all of the little steps that I’ve taken, especially the ones that might seem insignificant, are what have gotten me to a place where I have reached the goals that I have achieved so far, and towards those that I will achieve soon.

It’s really easy to give up on things because they seem monumental and become overwhelming but I’m trying to focus on progress, on moving forward rather than the many steps that it will take to get me to the dream. Life isn’t all about the big moments, it’s about every day and the little steps that I take to get me to the big achievements. My daily habits have been slipping lately as work has gotten busier. My mindset has changed to be happy with any small step that I have time to take, as I adjust to the increased workload. Progress not perfection. Progress not perfection. Progress not perfection.

When I read the quote by Gandhi ~ Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress. It clicked. I am in a constant state of being uncomfortable, of being discontent. I realize now that this is how I continue to move forward and it’s not a bad thing, although it feels… well… uncomfortable! I do also realize that I need some contentment in my life too and that’s where looking back and acknowledging what I have done, how far I have come is important. Today I will appreciate that 10 years ago I ran 42.2 very long kilometres. I trained hard that very hot summer and I did it. And I never have to do it again 🙂 Time to go for my run!

The number one reason people give up so fast is that they look at how far they still have to go instead of how far they’ve come.

I make it a habit to surround myself with positive, successful, kind people. Just by me having this mindset, I have created an environment where at this point, I rarely deal with negative people anymore. Until this week!

This week I was in an unfortunate situation with a person who is an aggressive, egocentric and very angry bully. He had an agenda and was out to hurt innocent people to fulfill his goal. I think because I really don’t come in contact with this kind of person regularly I was shocked that someone could be this negative and hurtful. It’s not that I don’t know that these type of people exist but they are not in my life so I don’t give them any thought.

The situation has been resolved but it was a very stressful two days where I felt anxious and angry. Feelings that I try very hard to stay away from. And based on how I felt this week, will try even harder to avoid.

I don’t understand how someone thinks that their life will be better by treating people disrespectfully or intentionally hurting them. I appreciate that this person obviously has some issues and insecurities but intimidating and threatening others is not the way to deal with them.

I know that I am a better person because of the amazing people that I surround myself with. I have always realized this but through this incident it has become even more clear.

What a wonderful thing that happens when good people get together.

The news is full of such negativity and hate that I just don’t participate in it. I don’t read newspapers and I don’t watch the news (I don’t even have a tv!). Am I uneducated about some issues? Yes probably, but I would rather fill my time reading and watching things that are inspirational and positive, things that are going to make my life better.

I met a women in Florida a few weeks ago and she wanted to talk politics. Do I like our Prime Minister? What do I think about Trump? I told her politely that I don’t follow politics and that I spend my time on things that I can control. Trump being president is not something that I can control. I didn’t even get a vote. I’m Canadian. I told her that I can put positive things in my head or negative things and I choose positive. She paused for a moment and agreed that I had a very good outlook on life.

I respect that people have interest in discussing politics and being informed on all of the issues. I just don’t have that interest and the “discussions”, particularly online, get pretty nasty. Spending my time reading or hearing this puts me in a negative mindset which then affects the way I think about everything.

We can’t control who is Prime Minister or President (once the decision has been made) but we can put more positivity into the world. If we want to make the world a better place, and I think that’s what we all want, than we should engage in positive activities. Hold the door, give compliments, help someone in need, smile, give blood. Do something that is going to add good to the world rather than complaining about what you don’t like about others. Just think of the ripple effect this would have if everyone was acting in kindness. Continuing to give time to the issues fuelled by politicians and the media is just feeding the negativity.

And let’s read more stories like this one about Reddy and Jax…

Boy has his hair cut like his friend. Now he thinks they can’t be told apart

Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be. ~ Abraham Lincoln

This morning it was 6 degrees C and pouring rain. I was on the couch under a warm blanket. The plan was to run 5K and as I looked out the window the excuses seemed almost too easy, but guess what? I did it!

It’s really easy to make excuses, it’s so easy that sometimes we don’t consciously realize that we’re doing it. I could have justified not running, instead staying in the house this morning, what sane person would go running in the pouring rain? But I’ve got goals and sitting on the couch under a warm blanket isn’t going to help me achieve them.

The trick I’ve been using when those excuses appear… and they ALWAYS appear… is to remember what the end goal is. I am running another Ragnar Relay in May and my goal is to run all 3 legs at a certain pace. The first 2 legs aren’t the problem. The third leg is the challenge! Running approximately 8kms after spending the past 20 hours in a van, with no sleep, weird eating patterns and having already run 16kms IS the challenge. At the relay in September I struggled with the third leg, really struggled and I am not suffering through that again. So this time I WILL be fully trained.

Better training includes running even when it’s cold and pouring rain. So this morning while I was trying to talk myself out of the run I thought of my goal, I thought of that terrible third leg in September and I put my shoes on and did it.

If you’re struggling to fight the excuses and the thought of your goal doesn’t help you push through, maybe that goal isn’t the right one. Ask yourself why you set the goal. I had this issue last year. I set a swimming goal but I set it for the sake of setting it and not for any other reason. The result was, I fell behind and started hating swimming. So I gave up that goal and focused on something else. Something that I truly wanted to do. The giving up part was difficult for me but that was just my ego getting in the way.

A good goal should be something that you truly want to achieve, something that you are passionate about. If these things are true, the excuses become less of an issue and easier to push through.

I’m certainly not saying that I never make excuses, procrastinate or skip workouts but I am far more conscious of it now and fight a little hard to just get it done!

Many things aren’t equal but everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day.  We make time for what we truly want.

In the past couple of weeks people have been talking a lot about how happy they are that 2016 is over, what a terrible year it was. I am not going to deny that tragic events didn’t happen in 2016. And some of these people suffered loss or were dealing with illness. It’s not my place to tell them that 2016 wasn’t a terrible year for them, but it did make me think.

Hearing this repeatedly started me thinking about what my thoughts were on the past year. I thought about things that happened in the world, but most of my memories were of what happened to me, my family and my friends.

While there were definitely some negative aspects to the year, I have to say that 2016 was pretty incredible. When I analyzed this (because I analyze, or over-analyze everything) I realized that I put the most weight on things that I control. This past year I put more effort into making my life full and amazing than I have in any previous year.

Great things happened this year, because I made them happen. I pushed to fulfill adventures that were out of my comfort zone because I knew the outcome would be worth it. Amazing years don’t happen by doing the same thing as the previous year.

As the new year starts there is now a lot of talk about “2017 is going to be amazing” and “This is going to be best year yet” and I truly hope that this is true for everyone. But unless everyone plays an active role in their life and doesn’t just let it happen, I fear that in December I am going to hear “I can’t wait until 2017 is over, it’s been a terrible year”. Bad events are going to happen every year, most of them we have no control over. So again in 2017 I am going to do what I need to do, to make MY life and year amazing.

Before setting goals for 2017, I looked back and documented all that I had accomplished in the past year. Wow… it was a pretty cool exercise!