Happy Motivation Monday!  I’m totally keeping this things going.  It’s always nice to read something motivational on a Monday morning. Last Thursday I shared with you that my marathon training has been less than ideal but I said I had been running consistently.

Before I lost weight I had a problem.  I wouldn’t finish anything (except for college and graduate school),  I would start something and just forget about it.  I wouldn’t finish books.  I would start craft projects and just stop them (sometimes because things just got too hard).  I would say I’m going to do something and when things got a little rough, I just stopped. That was the person I was.  I took the easy way out.  I excelled at the things that really didn’t challenge me so I kept doing those things.  I never ventured away from that stuff.  And at the first sign of frustration I would quit.

Weight loss was really the first thing I started and finished…and pushed through when things got rough.  I learned a lot about myself during the way but most importantly I learned to face frustration, fear and adversity head on.  I learned to keep going; to keep looking forward no matter the situation. When we starting losing weight, I knew I didn’t want this time to just be something I didn’t finish…again. Instead of letting the frustration and/or failure stop me in my tracks, I let it fuel me. If nothing was happening, I worked harder. If I stumbled, I got back on track. I met every obstacle head on with a positive spirit and the power of the internet to help me troubleshoot my issue. The old me would have given in.

 That is probably a big reason I hold running so close to my heart.  It pushes me and challenges me every time I I step up to a start line.  Every race is different and I never know how it will be until I finish.  It forces me to keep pushing even when I want to quit.

I just want to remind you that challenge is apart of life.  Failure is part of the learning process.  When it starts to get rough, that isn’t a sign for you to stop.  That’s the time when you reform your plan and find a new path.  Don’t give yourself even have that small moment of regret from something that you may have given up on.  I try not to live life with regret now, but there are times when I know I wasted opportunities to learn and grow because I did give up.

Please always remember that you are stronger than you think and are capable of much more than you can ever believe.

I don’t think this is something I’ve ever shared with the readers before so I hope it is something that will help you on any journey you are on in life.