I was sitting in a bench swing, looking at this view the other day, and thinking about motivation. I’m getting close to a milestone birthday (one of those with a zero on the end of the number), and feeling philosophical. Also feeling overwhelmed at all the things on the need-to-do or want-to-do list. Healthy eating, exercise, making soap, time with my family, taking care of the house (um, no coincidence that’s at the end of the list).
And besides all that–there’s a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where Calvin says, “There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” Reading books. Lying in bed petting Tucker, our cat. Sitting on that bench swing with a mug of Ginger Peach tea.
Forget It (or insert preferred F-word of your choice)
We get overwhelmed, and we just say, “Forget it. I’m just going to skip the gym today.” Or “I don’t have time to stop at the store. Forget it, I’ll just get fast food on the way home.” It’s an exasperated, throw-up-your-hands moment. It makes things easier right then. And that’s OK, once in a while. We need a little relief from the stress of a busy day.
But all those moments add up, and before you know it, you haven’t been to the gym in 5 years (ahem). Sigh.
What came to me on that bench swing was, instead of “Forget it”–FI–I could flip that and say IF.
If I get on the treadmill for just 10 minutes, I’ll feel better afterwards.
If I skip that piece of chocolate cake at work, I’ll be happier when I step on the scale tomorrow.
If I do a load of laundry now, I’ll watch Netflix later while I fold it.
The Marathon
While my husband and I were in the Army, we were stationed in Germany. He wanted us to run a marathon event together in Innsbruck, Austria. I wasn’t crazy about the idea–I am NOT a runner. He ended up convincing me to do it.
Training was hard. There were a lot of times I wanted to say FORGET IT and skip a run. But I knew IF I ran, the marathon would be a little less tough. Not in a way I could measure
When we finally got up the day of the marathon (at oh-dark-thirty, as they say in the military), we did a little stretching. After we left the Start point, I ran when I could, and walked part of the way. It did suck. But I knew I had trained the best I could, and that helped.
And I have a picture of us together at the top of the Olympic ski jump, with the Olympic rings in the background, from about halfway through the course. I’m not sure a beer has ever tasted better than the one I had when we finished (the Austrians/Germans sure know how to celebrate after stuff like that).
All these years later, I have that picture and those memories.
It adds up either way
The Forget It moments add up, but the IF moments add up, too. It’s doing what you don’t feel like doing at the time, because you remember what you want in the long run.
IF has a double benefit. If you get past Forget It, you’ve scored a victory in the moment. But you also add to the picture of yourself in your head that you’re stronger than Forget It.