Today's the Day: Happiness for the Long Run

We tell ourselves, "I'll go to the gym tomorrow because_________."  We've become experts at creating an excuse well enough to hinder interest in our goal.  But the truth is... now is as good a time as any.  For some reason we believe the future is this place where we have all the free time and dedication in the world.  But, the truth is tomorrow you probably won't want to go to the gym as much as you don't want to go today.  So give up the excuses, because excuses only get you further from your goals.  This picture shows a runner, a perfect example of commitment.  If you're a good runner than you don't simply run sporadically because you would never improve without first whipping yourself into shape.  It involves hard work and a goal you know you want without question.


Commitment is a great feeling.  But it doesn't always feel good in the moment, for example, when you're passing a Mcdonalds to go to a Saladworks because you told yourself to start eating healthier.  Think of it as an investment by comparing it to the college experience.  When attending college, you commit yourself to four hard-working, expensive years that yield (hopefully) a long-lasting career that will provide happiness longer than those four years it took to achieve it.  But on graduation day, you feel accomplished and proud.  And suddenly those late studying nights, finals weeks that you thought weren't humanly possible to survive through, and boring textbooks readings have indirectly brought you more joy that you thought possible.  Then you experience that great feeling that it was all worth it.  Committing to anything, big or small, can be looked at in this way.  Each little moment that makes you want to give up on your goals, (like purposefully avoiding the street with a Mcdonalds on it) just suck it up and know that the future lying ahead will be more satisfying in the long run.


Last year I used to run every day, sometimes twice a day.  However, with the new stresses of college I have resorted to this new "excuse-making" strategy.  But thinking back, I remember how happy I was.  Not saying I'm not happy now, but I remember how running put me in a great mood because it was my thing.  It was the thing that made me a dedicated person, not only in running but throughout my daily life. You may have one goal that you set yourself on, but sometimes that goal opens up a bunch of new goals.  That was what running did for me.  It made me realize that I can push myself more than I thought I could.  With each day I'd challenge myself to run better than the day before, and I have to say I miss that challenge a lot.  That's why today I'm going to make a change.  Not just a sparked interest, but a full-on commitment.  A commitment not just to running again, but a commitment to bettering myself.


A commitment can't just be something you hope will happen, you have to know that it will happen with hard work.  Motivation is also a factor that assists in making your goals a reality.  So don't just pick a goal, understand why you want it.  And through this understanding, spark an interest that turns into a life changing commitment.  So stop making excuses because everyone has the potential to be better, the hard part is committing.