Pushing the pack into 2019
Now that a new year is in motion, there’s a lot of talk about new plans, new beginnings, new, new, new…leaving me to feel pressured to have just the “right” new path that is exactly what I want to achieve 364 days from now.
While I am generally excited for 2019, I am worn out from totally checking out and enjoying time with my family. The magic of the season took me to a different gear. There was no real schedule and nothing that had to be done. There was a lot of eating, toasting to good times (aka, large wine consumption), and forgetting about goals - whether daily or lifelong.
For many of us, it’s just not easy to walk up to the start line and go full throttle.
I am a huge believer in that if you don’t like your situation, you change it. I am consistent, and I do believe in setting goals and doing what motivates you. But it’s not always so easy to look at every situation and know exactly how to go about change.
So, I’m going to offer this perspective: Why not find a place where you’re a little more comfortable? Like behind the pack. Ha ha.
TAKE YOUR TIME AND OBSERVE LIFE AROUND YOU.
I was initially inspired to write this post back in September, when for a mother, it is sort of a new year’s resolution-making time. It’s when the kids have started back to school, and you have some time to yourself to assess the damage of summer (filling all the days of summer can be expensive and exhausting!), thinking about how you can make some simple changes to better yourself now that you may have a bit more time on your hands. Any mom knows you really only have two weeks in October and maybe one or two in November so you’ve got to be stealth.
Back to September…
I went out to the lakefront for a run. It was an absolutely gorgeous Chicago morning — perfect running conditions — and I stopped to take a photo of the lakefront view. When I jumped back on the path, I let a group of young, fit Loyola runners proceed me. I picked up my pace, right where I had left off, but soon came to realize that my pace wasn’t much slower than this fit (and young, very young!) group of runners. And that is where I got my motivation…to follow.
It sounds absolutely absurd, but in reality, it’s what we all do in this social media age anyway!
I followed them until I was ready to switch my mentality to a more positive perspective. It was a cool, no pressure, challenging little situation.
And then, when I was ready, I let myself believe that I was pushing them.
I was pushing that pack of runners. They didn’t like me on their heels. I told myself I was their edge, what they needed to keep them pushing forward. And I totally got the run of my summer that day – made me feel like I’m not that out of shape and it empowered my thinking in so many different aspects of my life. Sometimes, it’s just a shift in perspective that is all we need to power through anything.
I want to offer you my bottled-up excitement for 2019: Let your motivation be to step back and observe. In other words, take your time and you will get there. You’ve gotta start somewhere.
Don’t look at it as falling behind, but rather pushing the pack.
And I’ll dare to say that you are already a follower, so why not use that to empower yourself? Warm up your gears as you set your stride in January. You can always pick up the pace, move on through when you feel you’re ready. With absolutely no pressure.