Preface: I'm away from my normal computer, so I'm afraid I won't have this post all dolled up with pictures and such. My apologies. Especially to those of you who only read for the pictures. Please do read on despite this tragic flaw.
I was in TJ Maxx the other day and noticed a ton (and I mean a ton!) of those pretty wooden squares with motivational quotes on them. Or funny quotes. Or quotes about dogs. Or some were simply one word; Wine! You all know that I'm a quote-aholic, so as hard as it was, I resisted the urge to buy one of each and splatter my home and office with them. I practiced incredible restraint (it was a miracle) and walked right on by.
But those little wooden gems got me thinking; aren't we always being bombarded with messages? Do this. Don't do this. Buy this. Buy lots of this (wine!). Be this way, feel that way, say this thing. It's enough to make your head spin.
I suppose you could argue that this blog is just another one of those messages, being shouted at you from the computer or phone or however you accessed it (is it on a wooden block yet? I'll get there). It's true, though. This blog is simply another message in the myriad you hear/see/ignore daily. Billboards, headlines, bumper stickers, paperwork, emails...they can be pretty noisy. And it can be pretty tricky to cut through that noise. Trust me. Chatty as I am, I do crave quiet (let's discuss the irony in another post, please...not here!).
Recently, however, one message I saw has been clanging around, speaking up loudly enough to be heard above the rest. It is, "You must be willing to do the things that others won't do in order to have the things that others don't have."
Did you get that? Read it again, I'll wait. Now...did you get it? It's neat, isn't it? And when I first read it, I won't lie; I felt a surge of "Oh my Lord, I'm behind, I'm failing and I'll never catch up to have the things that others don't have." That was my first reaction. Sigh. I'm so not proud of that. It's negative and it defeats the purpose of Susan's daily motivation. Whoops. Swing and a miss there, Aim. Try again.
I said it's been clanging around, and I meant it. I've come back to these words time and again since I read them a couple weeks ago. And last night, as I laid in bed (being pushed to the edge of said bed by a lonely 6yo who needed to snuggle), I had an epiphany.
Maybe (just mayyyyyyybe) it's less about doing and more about doing less. Okay, that sentence sounded clearer in my head. Let me try again. The quote reads, "You must do the things that others won't do."
Maybe my "won't do" list is more like this; I won't try to keep up with the Joneses. I won't compare myself to others 24/7 (deadly!). I won't get caught up in the mishmash ratrace of life that wears me down and leaves me feeling hollow, defeated and discouraged. I won't fall into the general mass of people. I won't become "just one more follower." I won't invest time (precious as it is) beating myself up for the whatever else I didn't do, can't do, should do etc.
Maybe that's my list. And maybe it's yours too. Maybe instead of feeling like we need to step onto the hamster wheel, maybe we need to step off. Break the damn thing. Maybe it's not about wanting or needing whatever those things are that the others have (who are the others anyway?) and more about enjoying what we do have and realizing that the constant desire for more more more can get ugly.
Alright, full disclosure--I do not condone complacency. Yuck. There's content and there's complacent. One says lazy to me and the other says happy. I like to work from a place of happy, don't you? Happy people can still want to be better (define better how you will). Being content doesn't mean you sit on your duff and figure, "Well, this is it. I'm happy. That's all she wrote." You can be content and still strive for better (again, define that how you will).
So everyone and their brother may be doing something, posting something, sharing something. And I'm not. And I jump on my back and beat myself up instead of granting myself that sought after slice of individuality that provides me with perspective and my own voice (imagine that!). Maybe it's in NOT doing what others are doing that I CAN have what others don't?
Those of you who've been here before know me; you know I'm a Beachbody Coach. You know I work FT and I'm a Mommy to two sweet girls. And you know I'm real, I'm honest and I'm open with you. I rise, I fall and I get back up again. I am consistently inconsistent (now THAT should be on a wooden block) and unafraid to share that with you. Judge if you will, but I hope that you won't.
I put pressure on myself (raise your hand if you do it too) to do what others won't....but that pressure doesn't help me succeed. That pressure jams me up and makes me downright mad. Really. Everyone else is getting up at 4am to workout. If I really wanted it badly enough, I would too. Do what others won't, to have what others don't. Others won't sleep in, and don't have saddlebags. I won't get up and don't have bags under my eyes. Or something like that.
What really helps me succeed is a strong desire to be the best version of Amy I can be. And frankly, sometimes the best version of Amy needs to step away, take a break and be in the moment rather than chasing something.
Am I complacent? Nope. Am I content? Yeah, I think so. I have a beautiful family, a rewarding job, several conversations a day about Beachbody and its place in my life and, most importantly, I have my health. Is my body perfect? Hellllllllllllllll no. Do I work on it daily? Hellllllllllll yes. Does that mean exercise daily? Helllllllllll no....remember, I'm consistently inconsistent. But I do eat pretty well, I rarely miss my daily Shakeology and I am surrounded by resources--online, in person and beyond!--designed to help me. That sounds like a pretty great plan, I do believe.
I'd be honored to be a resource for you, if you'd like. I won't harass you into 24 hour workout sessions. I won't slap (virtually or otherwise) food out of your hand. That's not what this is about. I won't judge you when you check out for a day or two because, well, LIFE! And what we won't have? We won't have perfect bodies overnight (or maybe ever). We won't have millions of dollars in the bank. We won't have the stress that comes from comparing and competing. How's that sound?
That's another "I won't" list...and I like it. We need to do the things others won't to have the things others won't. Let's no do some stuff and not have some stuff together.
