Why it takes a village

(ana)
I'm back.... and feeling a little more humble and at peace since I last blogged.  Some of you where kind enough to reach out and send your support and kind words.  Thank you. You are now officially part of my village.  You made me realize that it's not about the race, it's about the lessons I'm learning along the way.

Trainer Jamie, in his usual amazing way, put things into perspective for me today.  I want to share that with you.  Even though I know this, it's important to hear it again and again until I actually "know" it.

He told me that you never learn anything by winning, but you learn so much more by losing (struggling).  It's the lessons along the way when you are struggling with whatever you may be struggling with that is the whole point of anything.  Getting on stage, or not getting on stage is not the point of all this.  It's the lessons I learn about myself. 

So what lessons am I learning?  Or should be learning if I'm paying attention:

1. I'm way way too hard on myself.  I hold myself up to extremely high expectations and I don't celebrate the small victories.
2. I try to hard to prove myself to others and myself. My ego needs a break.
3. I see my inability to succeed at everything as a failure.

4. I need to chill the hell out.

And he reminded me that I'm actually at a really wonderful point in all this.  How so?  Well, weight has always been an issue with me. Not a huge one, but something I have wanted to change for most of my life.  And through this process, I am learning that it's definately not the excerice because that I can do extremely well and I love it.  It's not my diet because I have been working on that and it's a science at this point.  So what's left?  The stress.  Stress is keeping me from getting to the goal.  This is a huge piece of information that I now know because of the "failures/struggles" I have faced so far on this journey.  This is actually great news if you think about it. 

Through the process of elimination, this is I am left working with and it's going to be the toughest climb of all.  Why, because I have a busy life like most people and I need to get a handle on my stress or it will kill me at some point.  So getting the stress under control will help me in so many ways and make my life so so much better.  So, this is good.  I know understand what I need to do, and I just need to do it.  Period.

So thank you to all the members of my little village, who I know love me, support me, and keep me going.  It really does take a village.  And thanks for reading our blogs as well. It's nice knowing that my/our collective struggles may be helping others out there.  Peace and until next time........

Strive for progress...not perfection.