{"id":76,"date":"2009-09-11T14:32:00","date_gmt":"2009-09-11T14:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2009\/09\/keep-going.html"},"modified":"2009-09-11T14:32:00","modified_gmt":"2009-09-11T14:32:00","slug":"keep-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2009\/09\/keep-going.html","title":{"rendered":"Keep Going!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Every time I run I want to stop. Going up hills motivates me even more to begin to create excuses for why I should cut myself some slack. I play this game in my head almost every time I do it. Sometimes the tendon behind my knee begins to hurt a little. I\u2019m used to it and it always stops as I continue. I know it\u2019s just a stiff muscle but when it hurts, I want to stop.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve learned that when I push through the pain I get to the other side and am always glad I did.<\/span><\/p>\n

Living means encountering some pain. It can be the pain of exercise or the mental pain of being in a relationship that has problems or going after something that isn\u2019t working yet or a number of other things. Mental pain can be worse than physical. There\u2019s a whole lot of things that can hurt.<\/p>\n

Lance Armstrong said, “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.<\/span>“<\/p>\n

If you quit, it\u2019s over, but so are the possibilities that come after the pain. Running keeps me fit. I don\u2019t feel like quitting the whole time\u2014just when pain either starts in my tendons or I feel tired and spent going up a hill. I do some loving self-talk. Knowing that without running, I\u2019d probably gain weight, I lovingly call myself tubby and add a pep talk about how I need the exercise and must push through the pain.<\/p>\n

I always make sure to be conscious when my run is over and say congrats to me for finishing!<\/span><\/p>\n

There are times I almost give up. Times I\u2019m so hungry I just want to run to McDonald\u2019s and pig out. But I know that if I cut myself slack that once and shorten how much I do, or give in to the excuses and short term pain, I\u2019ve lost. I remind myself of that whenever quitting thoughts go through my head. How can one time mean I\u2019ve lost? <\/p>\n

Giving in once means I\u2019ll do it again.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can always find excuses to quit. And if they work once, they\u2019ll work again, which is why I can\u2019t go there. Just as I said in my post Just This Once\u2014Not!<\/a>, I know that once you cut yourself slack, it\u2019s so much easier to do it again in the future. So I push myself to be strong and push through any pain I\u2019m experiencing. It\u2019s also painful for me to make the calls and send emails to media people or others for my career. Not getting anywhere is downright mentally painful!! But this is the career path I\u2019ve chosen and it has to be done to stay a freelance writer.<\/p>\n

While the idea of experiencing pain isn\u2019t pleasant, the rewards can be sweeter than you\u2019d expect.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d never joined a gym or worked out with weights until 2001, when I decided my concern about how I\u2019d learn to lift weights needed to be overcome in order to stay in good shape and keep my bones strong. I\u2019d heard about slow motion weight training, where you lift heavy weights very slowly and when your body feels like it will die from the pain, you hold it for another count of 10 seconds.<\/p>\n

Sound painful? It hurt more than anything I\u2019ve ever done.<\/span><\/p>\n

It sounded good before I began. The routine only take a half hour or less once a week, since you can\u2019t do more than a few reps of each and it takes a week to recuperate. The science behind it is to quickly push your muscles to intense failure. That builds muscles faster than any other workout you can do. The workout is done with a trainer, who guides, pushes and insists you do what\u2019s necessary. Most weeks I\u2019d leave swearing that was the last time. And as I\u2019d push through the pain of doing the reps, I\u2019d think, \u201cI have to quit!\u201d<\/p>\n

But I didn\u2019t! Each week I returned for more torture, as I thought of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I did this program almost every week for a year. Had I skipped or shortened a session, I would have quit completely. I got into the habit of congratulating myself on the way home each week. I was truly proud of me. And that was a big factor in the rise of my self-esteem. It was tough but I pushed through! I didn\u2019t let the pain make me quit. That motivated me to go back.<\/p>\n

Pushing though pain is winning! The confidence it gives you to take more risks or do things that seem hard is priceless.<\/span> I switched to a trainer in a regular gym after a year. By then, I\u2019d learned many valuable lessons:<\/p>\n

1) I can use my breathing along with my mind to lift the weights by concentrating hard and breathing into the lift.
2) Lifting in slow motion is a great way to learn perfect form for weight lifting.
3) I can do whatever I set my mind to!<\/p>\n

After that year my body was much more toned and I had unusually strong muscles for only working out once a week for a year. My new trainer says I bench press heavier dumbbells than any woman he\u2019s ever worked with, with perfect form! I\u2019m up to 2 at 40 pounds each! When I\u2019m stumbling with something, I remember how I felt when I left a slow motion session\u2014proud beyond words. Even when my dentist had to do painful work on my tooth, I took deep breaths and told him to just keep going so it would be done faster instead of taking many breaks and dragging it out.<\/p>\n

Self-love is a big motivator to push through pain.<\/span> Doing so made my body healthier, which is important to me. Love yourself enough to drive through pain in situations that you know can have a reward at the other end. Stay on the treadmill a minute longer. Ride out the pain of breaking up with a romantic partner who isn\u2019t good for you instead of going back for another sweet session ending in more pain.<\/p>\n

Allow yourself to endure a painful treatment that can heal you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lance Armstrong hung in with his cancer treatments and he continued to hang in to win the Tour de France many times. You can win too if you love yourself enough to persevere to the other side of pain that can have a happy ending, like a fit and healthy body or freedom to find healthy love. You\u2019re worth it! ?<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed my post, please leave a comment and\/or click on the bookmark and write a short review at some of the sites, especially Stumbleupon and Digg. Thanks!

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Every time I run I want to stop. Going up hills motivates me even more to begin to create excuses for why I should cut myself some slack. I play this game in my head almost every time I do it. Sometimes the tendon behind my knee begins to hurt a little. 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Daylle's books have been translated into over 10 languages and are popular around the world. She speaks for colleges, organizations and corporations. Through her company, Project Self-Empowerment, Daylle creates programs and materials to help people empower themselves. One goal is to raise the money to self-publish her book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways and give it away for free in colleges and through organizations, to give thanks for all her blessings. 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