Like many other parents, my father stated that anything worth having was worth the effort needed to obtain it. My complaints of it being too hard or taking too much time or being too complicated were all met with a patient smile and silence. That combination of facial expression and lack of commentary told me that the choice was mine. I could quit anytime I wanted with little or no parental backlash. It is amazing how this lesson continues to affect my life today.
I learned that most things I truly wanted warranted the amount of work I was investing. The reward was worth the time, effort and sacrifice. When I first started getting serious about fitness, I found that the things that I had deemed impossible to achieve (or impossible to give up) were a little more manageable when I calculated the risk versus the reward. It was worth it to me to fit into non husky sized clothes. It was worth it to feel better when I woke in the morning. It was worth it to spend more money on REAL food and less money on fast food. It was worth it to not have to worry about Diabetes; the disease that has taken several family members partially or in full. Most importantly, it was FINALLY worth it to feel better about myself.
So it’s not a question of your want. We all WANT to be better people, more fit, less tired, more loving or whatever your target. The real question is what are you willing to give up in order to reach your goals? Everyone has their own risk/reward ratio, and like my dad said through his silence, you can walk away from this at any time without judgment. I am here to tell you that despite the difficulty of the task, the muscle soreness, the setbacks and hating your trainer 🙂 . . . . IT IS WORTH IT.
Forward ever! Backwards never! We are all in this together.
DEV
Loved this post. It’s so important to remember that our priorities are ours to own. Only we can pass judgement on our own decisions to prioritize one thing over another. We must’ve been on the same wavelength last week. 🙂