Do you lose sight of your inspiration?
I watched a film recently, called "Remember Sunday" and it completely changed my life. Not bad going for a "made for tv" film, huh?
It's about a guy who has an aneurysm and from that day on, although he could remember things from before the aneurysm happened, he couldn't remember anything else for longer than a day. Essentially, every time he went to bed, he wiped all the memories of that day.
What struck me was his "read this every morning" file, which served to remind him of where he was, what he did yesterday, who he met, whether he liked them and so on.
We could all do with such a file.
How often do we forget the profound things about life that matter to us?
We may have huge epiphanies during the day, but we let them drift. We forget them and so they can't have an impact on what we do, how we live and how we perceive ourselves and the world.
We have flashes of inspiration...and we let go of them.
I decided I wasn't going to let go of what I learnt from the story, which was this:
We never know what's round the corner, so we'd better start making sure we enjoy every day and appreciate all there is to be appreciative of, right now.
When we're chasing a goal, we tend to lose this ability to realise how much we've already achieved of what we want - but it's essential for keeping us going.
Logic would suggest that it's not having what you want that keeps you motivated. It is, in the early stages. But once you get started, it's results that spur you on.
Without a clear, regular focus on what you've achieved, and the happiness you already have, motivation dwindles...and ultimately, disappears.
To stay tuned into how well you're already doing doesn't mean you stop striving. It just means that you find contentment in the place you're in now whilst you're striving, and that your life doesn't only consist of feeling the burning longing to be somewhere/something/somebody else.
When it comes to achieving anything in health and fitness, you HAVE to get this. Without this insight, it's damn hard to keep hold of your passion for what you're doing. And you need that passion.
So hold on to your existing, already achieved joys, even while you search and strive for more. Write them down if you have to - and then refer to them every day, so every day you can be inspired to keep going.
Have a brilliant day,
Trace