Yesterday I went for a run with a friend.
I told her about my Christmas Bucket List.
Her reaction?
“Wow! That’s a lot! But that’s great.”
Now I know my list is ambitious.
I’m not delusional.
But I want to create some memories for my family.
It’s not about stress. Or checking off items on a list.
It’s about creating an experience, or a number of experiences for my family.
Because I’ve lived the past 6 years without the list.
Without any goals.
And that has left me stressed out and feeling depressed and unfulfilled.
So what if I only do one or two items on that list?
That will be one or two more memories that I created last year.
So in my eyes, that’s a pretty big success.
Not a failure in any way.
Maybe I attempt the gingerbread houses and I want to fucking kill myself.
And everyone withing ten feet of me.
But what if I attempt them and everyone loves it?
What if instead of a failure, it turns out to be a huge success?
You never know unless you try.
The same goes for fitness and weight loss.
Here are the latest pictures from Samantha and Ashton.
Day 1
Day 36
Day 1
Day 36
Day 1
Day 36
Day 1
Day 36
Both have expressed frustration with results.
Or lack of them.
Here’s what I think.
You need to aim higher.
Register for a 5K.
And not in like, 6 months.
Find the next 5K race that’s being held within an hour of your house, and register for it today.
Start training today.
I will help you.
Will it be easy?
No.
But…
Just like the Christmas Bucket List,
the results you want to see aren’t going to happen if you don’t make a change.
And if you don’t aim high.
So what if you had to walk some of the 5K?
What if you had to walk all of it?
What if you didn’t even finish it?
Would that make you a failure?
No.
And why look at life from that perspective anyway?
How about you try it this way:
Now go for it.
And not just Ashton and Samantha.
All of us.
Whether it’s a Christmas bucket list, or weight loss, or fitness, or a career change…
Whatever.
Don’t sell yourself short.
Don’t settle.
Don’t be complacent.
Take a risk!
You never know where it may lead you.
But you’ll certainly never know if you don’t try.
Help me stay Number 1!
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This note is for Samantha: I was going to mention this last time, and it’s even more noticeable this picture – you look so much happier! Your smile says a lot. The weight loss looks pretty good too 🙂
I second everything Susie said in this post, ladies! She pushed me to do that 5k about 12 weeks ago. I was scared. I was a horrible runner. I hated running. Were the first couple weeks pretty? Nope. Was it a beautiful thing to run across that finish line in early November at just over 31 minutes, despite only being “a runner” for 7 weeks? YUP! My regular run is now well over the distance of a 5k, and I’m planning to register for a half marathon. My point? Well, I didn’t think I could do it, either. But I’ve discovered, I am capable of ANYTHING if I really want it and set my mind to it. And so are you, ladies. The biggest progress I made was when I started routinely living outside my comfort zone. Like, big time. I know you both can do it! Susie is a great cheerleader, and butt kicker, so follow her advice. Hang in there, ladies, and aim high!
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