Back in January, I shared with you that I had started working out at a gym. It felt amazing on so many levels and I loved it!
Fast forward to the month of May and I had stopped going; for four weeks straight I did not attend one class.
The longer I left it the harder it was to get back. It felt impossible to get there. My mind was filled with excuses and my body wasn’t feeling great either.
The last workout I completed was not a good one for me. I felt weak. I couldn’t lift the weights I usually could and I could not stop comparing it to the time before that was (according to my mind) ‘my best’. So I was stuck comparing and labeling one experience as good and the other as bad.
I was tired of feeling this way and uncertain on how to move forward with my workouts so last weekend I had a conversation with my friends and owners of the gym I go to, Colin and Chelsea from BPM Fitness.
They shared that this is part of the journey. Even when we experience something that is positive, that we enjoy, and that we know is good for us, we may still stop doing it. It takes time to create healthy habits and it is natural to have different reactions to different workouts. There is no need to analyze. Just do it.
Just by opening up, sharing my stuckness and listening to them, something shifted. That night I messaged my workout buddy and I went to the gym.
I am back!
It felt so good - the workout, being pushed, sweating with a group of people. And at the end feeling good knowing I had accomplished something. My body loved me. My endorphins, those happy hormones, were pumping.
I had the thought ‘Why would I stop doing this when it felt so good?’
What I have realized is, that what Colin and Chelsea said to me, is exactly what I say to my clients who have stopped meditating.
They tell me they feel stuck. They have an idea that their meditations aren’t as good as they should be. Then the mind gets filled with reasons why they shouldn’t meditate – “It’s not working.” “It’s a waste of time”. “You can’t do this like other people can.” They have these thoughts even though they know they feel better when they do have a regular practice, even though it has changed their life for the better in many ways.
You see, there is a natural ebb and flow to every practice we put in place and there is great significance in this.
First, this is a life-long journey we are on. These moments of stuckness can be an opportunity to pause, reflect, and if necessary take the steps to re-commit or alter our approach, allowing for personal growth.
“We become what we repeatedly do.” ― Sean Covey
My willingness to be real and share that I felt really stuck was in fact what got me unstuck. And with people who care and get it.
Secondly, creating positive habits takes times. It is constant work. It doesn’t happen naturally. At least it hasn’t for me. But the good news is – it doesn’t matter how long we have been stuck. All that matters is our choice today.
Today we can choose to do something different.
We can learn from our experiences. Gain insight. And strengthen our self-will even more.
Our self-will is like a muscle that gets stronger every time we make a choice to commit to our plan.
The key for me is –knowing why am I doing this. If I don’t have a clear goal or understanding why I am doing something then I am more apt to stop doing it at some point, especially when it doesn’t feel good.
So if there is something that you want to do but you feel stuck – exercising, meditating, eating healthy, anything at all….you can start right now. You can make a different choice.
And if you are feeling stuck with your meditation, send me an email. Share what’s going on. I’d love to support you in getting back on track. We are in this together!
All the best,
Diane