For the longest time I was obsessed with body image, as a teenager I was always looking through magazines, in search of the latest beauty fads. The particular area of obsession often changed, but by far the longest lasting was my obsession with weight, looking back I realise that that was an absolute waste of time because I was such a skinny little thing. After years of unnecessary stressing, the universe finally awarded me some weight to work on. Even though i was not overweight, I had picked up at least 10 kilos, that was more than enough to set me into a state of panic. After a couple of failed diets, with much reluctance I started running. What started out as a desperate attempt to lose weight eventually turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made, I not only managed to drop a few kilos, but also learnt some important lessons that I now apply to my everyday living.
If your mind can conceive it and you believe it, you can achieve it – Napoleon Hill
This has quickly become my favorite quote, I have heard it a lot over the years, but only now have I come to really understand and appreciate it. Yes I wanted to lose weight, but I didnt think that I could. I always thought there were people out there that had God had made strong, I believed these ‘special people’ were more physically gifted than I was. Little did I know that the only difference between them and me, was their belief in themselves and their abilities. For a few months I went around complaining, complaining about how my asthma stopped me from running, about how expensive healthy eating was, about how I just didnt have enough time to prepare my meals in the morning, about how I couldnt afford a trainer, basically I was always complaining. Its only when I started to believe that I could lose weight did I switch complaints for action, I googled running for asthamatics, I substituted recommended food with cheaper alternatives, I planned my meals in advance and when I couldnt afford to pay my gym subscription, I ran. All of these solutions were always within my reach, but guess what, I had to believe it, plan for it, action it and then achieve it. This applies to everything else in life, once an idea has been conceived, believe in it, plan the steps to get there and act, only then can you achieve.
There will be setbacks, setbacks are not failure.
Just because you believe it, doesnt mean it will be easy. Some days will be beautiful, some days will be absolute hell, its all part of the process. Setbacks will happen, and when they do, look for the lesson, pick yourself up and keep moving. I got injured, 2 weeks before what would have been my first half marathon race. I spent the next couple of weeks judging myself for failing and convinced that everyone was judging me too. Eventually, feeling sorry for myself became exhausting, this happened the minute I realised that there would be other races. Not taking part in that particular race did not make me a failure, what would have made me a failure is not attempting to run another race. Its important to not dwell too long in the disappointment of a setback, there is always a reason and a lesson to be learnt ( in this case I learnt that if you are going to run long distances, form is everything). Setbacks are sometimes Gods way of redirecting our path , his way of telling us to change course , his way of pushing us out of our comfort zone, or simply telling us NOT YET.
There are no shortcuts to success.
I tried slimming teas and fad diets, sometimes I lost a few kilos ( most times the scale hardly moved) but within a few days they came right back. If you are going to achieve anything meaningful, you need to consistently put in the work, even if your current conditions dont make it easy.
Enjoy the journey and appreciate where you are.
Nothing frustrates effort more than staying fixated on the destination. Its hard to see how far you have come and how well you have done if you keep your eyes on the finish line. On any journey, its not unusual to have bad days, its normal to sometimes question yourself and where you are going. On those days, dont focus on the end, get your encouragement from how far you have come since the start line, what progress you have made, what you have learnt. Do not dwell on how much more you have left to do, try as much as possible to enjoy whats left of the journey. Runners have a terrible habit of asking the questions ‘what was your time’ or ‘what was your pace’ both well meaning questions but sometimes encourage unnecessary competition. These questions act much like social media, encouraging competition based on incomplete information. Never compare your progress to anybody other than the person you were yesterday, because the only journey you will ever truly know (or own) is your own. Let other peoples success inspire you, but never use it as a yardstick for your own progress, you dont know what their struggles have been, what kick start they got or how long it has taken them.
The world has some amazing people,
If only you will allow yourself to see the good in others. I have met so many people on my runs. I have had great conversations with people whose names I dont even know. There have also been some actual friendships that have come out of running, I have made friends with people older and younger than myself, with people and from different backgrounds, whose view of life is so different from mine. All of this adds to the wonderful experience of running. Through running i have learnt the importance of encouraging one another. It could be through a pep talk from a seasoned runner, or even a runners nod. A runners nod, a simple gesture that at times is barely noticeable, is a silent reassurance that says ‘I see you’ ‘well done, keep pushing’ on a bad day,trust me that nod is everything! It will keep you going.