Pushing Through The Pain - Accomplishing Your goals
Muhammad Ali once commented that it's not if you get knocked down that counts, but how quickly you get up and what you do then. Often the real test of a person's character isn't if they attempt or what they attempt, it's if they overcome their own fears and doubt to accomplish what they attempt. We've all been at that point when we feel we can't go on, we feel defeated, we are ready to give-up - but many of us know that thrill of pushing ourselves through those defining moments to accomplish what we set-out to do.
I believe these moments are self-defining, what we do in those most trying moments reveals character, and while I don't think there are any 'tricks' we can do to follow such a course of victory over self-doubt and simply giving up, there are, I believe, a common set of actions, a general approach shared by those who are able to 'push through the pain' to 'accomplish their goals' that we can observe and learn from.
Everyone wants to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and to maintain the physique they desire, but we all know those days we just don't feel like exercising or just can't resist that second helping . . . we've all faced those moments where our set goal is confronted by our immediate mood, hindering us from reaching our desired goal. I just faced such a moment, and I observed what came to my mind, what I helped me push through and finish the hard work I needed to do to get what I wanted.
First, I kept the picture of my prize always before me, I didn't permit the pain of my effort to fill my mind but kept my attention on the desired results of that pain. Next, I didn't allow myself to give-up my efforts for instant relief, I kept before my mind that this pain would soon end and I would win the fruits of my efforts - the hard part ends and then the benefits of your efforts are yours to enjoy. Finally, I reminded myself that I deserve the prize, that relief and rest from the effort was not good enough for me, that abandoning my task for instant comfort was not the prize, I insisted that my character and striving merits the reward for accomplishment - I deserve what I want and worked so hard for.
So, even though the handle of the scoop was too small and hard to grip, even though my wrist was aching with pain, even though that was the hardest container of ice cream I've ever tried to manhandle a few scoops out of, I pressed on . . . I didn't give up, I didn't stop, rather than complain about my utensils I gazed longingly at the bright red frozen berries embedded so firmly in that sweet creamy reward, and rather than pamper my throbbing wrist I pictured in my mind a bowl filled with the prize of my hard work, my strawberry trophy. I pushed through the pain - I accomplished my goal . . . and now, to enjoy the dessert (so-to-speak) of my efforts.
