Every possible excuse to not run flooded my mind as I drove home from my morning appointments. By the time I pulled in my driveway (two hours later than planned) I had basically convinced myself to skip today’s run. “I’ve already lost two hours of the day. I felt sick the last two days so another day off might be smart. I’m gonna feel like crap because I’m so tired.“ You get the picture. All of those statements were true, but essentially just excuses not to run. I even found myself doing calculations in my head to see how far I would need to run the rest of the week in order to get to the total miles I was aiming for. I knew I had a problem once I resorted to math in order to rationalize my way out of running.
Thankfully I came to my senses and realized what I was doing, so I immediately grabbed my running clothes and got changed before I had a chance to change my mind. “Fresh air! Sunlight!“ Is what I forced myself to think over and over until I stepped outside and closed the front door behind me.
Despite the fact I had just won the most difficult part of the battle, I really didn’t feel like running, mostly because I was afraid I would feel sick or that my heart would start hurting, so I made a deal with myself; I only had to go to the end of the road and back. That would be 4 miles and even if I had to walk, at least I’d be outside and moving. It’s fascinating how our minds work. Mine nearly convinced me to do something I knew I’d later regret, yet repeatedly saying a few words and then granting myself permission to cut the run short was just the trick I needed to play on my mind. The pressure was off and that got me moving.
The first mile was basically all uphill, so I was prepared to walk if it felt too stressful. But I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, and before I knew it I made it to the top without stopping. Instead of turning around as planned, I decided to run another half mile so I could total five. At this point it dawned on me that my legs actually felt good! I wanted to keep going, so I did — all the way to the 3 1/2 mile mark. Just a short while ago my mind tried to convince me to avoid this run altogether, but now it was encouraging me to press on. “Just a little further.” That little phrase changed everything.
Walking up my driveway with a huge grin on my face, I was thrilled with what I had just done. What had seemed likely to be a zero mile day turned into an exhilarating seven miler!
The way my mind works drives me crazy, but the good news is I’m getting better at beating it at its own game. Because of all I’ve been through these last seven months, I realize that every day is a gift. Why should I allow negative thinking to derail my progress? Why miss out on an opportunity to do something healthy that I know will make me happy once I’m finished?
The first step is often the most difficult to take. Overcoming negative self-talk is challenging but we have the ability to force our thoughts in a different direction. Just like with any habit, changing our thoughts can be a daunting task and it takes commitment, but the more consistent we are in thinking the new thoughts, the more natural it becomes.
When I find myself entertaining negative thoughts, sometimes I literally close my eyes, shake my head and say “stop“ out loud. Then I use days like today to fuel the desire to be more consistent by remembering that I can do it. The more consistent I am, the better I feel both physically and mentally. It’s so worth it.
Is there an area of your life where negative thinking and procrastination persist? How would a shift in mindset change your experience? Stop putting off taking that first step and make the commitment today to keep moving forward no matter what. Your future self will thank you.
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“ We are all capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to be. So let’s hit reset. Let’s begin a new process of stepping into that person we always wanted, and deserve, to be.” ~ Rich Roll
“A month from now you can either have a month of progress or a month of excuses why you didn’t.” ~ unknown
“Unplanned things will happen; you won’t want to get up the next morning to get started; and you’ll want to give up. Just because you win a race doesn’t mean you didn’t want to quit the whole time; you just overcame that urge over and over. That’s where grit comes from. It also comes from being stronger than your excuses every day when you say, ‘I don’t feel like doing it’.” ~ Sonya Looney (professional mountain biker)