You're So Close Now!

 Have you ever felt so close to reaching a goal, but at the same time, it felt so far away? If you have felt that way, you are definitely not alone! I have felt this way on numerous occasions. Recently, I felt this way when I went to my local YMCA class. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I joined the Y and attend classes there. On this particular Monday, it was the total body conditioning class. Now, I hadn't been for a while. However, I was determined to attend class that night. When I wasn't at the Y, I was walking laps and doing indoor workouts, so I was getting my exercise in 😊. The exercise hadn't been in a group setting for a while though. When I showed up that particular Monday night to the Y, I was the only student there! In fact, the regular instructor who normally leads the class wasn't able to be there, so there was a fill in instructor. The other ladies who normally attend the class weren't there that night either. So, when the fill in instructor stepped into the gym that I was waiting in and asked me did I still want to take the class, I gave her my yes. Whew! Let me tell you now..a lot came with that yes 😄!! The key is I made it 👏! That night, the gym was set up with different stations, such as weightlifting, squats, aerobic activities, ropes, etc. Before I got started, the instructor gave me a demonstration of what I would do at each station. The visual demonstration helped so much because that's how I learn best. We did warm up stretches together first. Then, I would complete the 3 rounds of stations she modeled. In other words, I would do each of those stations 3 times. I got to choose where I started. I chose the squat station. I was at the stations for a certain amount of time as she had a timer set. In between each round, I would get a quick water break. All of the stations worked different parts of my body. Some stations were harder for me than others. Guess what my hardest station was...the ropes!! First of all, those ropes were heavy! Second of all, it took a lot of upper arm strength to maneuver those ropes. I did notice as I went through the stations, I got better with doing the moves. My instructor was also very encouraging as she was cheering me on and giving me reminders on how to do the moves. Remember how I told you I had to complete 3 rounds of the stations? Let me tell you, by round 3, I was getting real tired! My instructor even asked me in round 3 was I tired and I said yes. My instructor was very nice and stood with me. Fun fact: my instructor is a personal trainer! Not only did I get a one-on-one session that night, but I got a personal trainer to top it all off 😊. I started thinking about the stations being like different areas of our life. Some things in our life are harder than others. Some areas of our life are harder than others. It's okay to admit we're tired. We feel like giving up. We're not sure if we can see that goal or habit change through. We're not sure if we want to keep putting the work in. However, looking back though, the end result is worth it! Looking back on my session that day, it was worth it! Yes, I was tired physically, but it helped me emotionally and mentally 💜. It did help me to get reset and refreshed. When I was at the ropes station, I remember the instructor saying something that I still remember..."That's right..show the ropes who's boss." That statement reminded me that we can control some things. We can control our attitudes, words, actions, what we listen to, and who we connect with. What we can't control, we need to give it to God and leave it there (which can be hard sometimes too because we want to pick it back up often!). Yes, life can get tough. Yes, there are goals that will look impossible to reach. Yes, there are times I feel like giving up. That's when I have people in my life who encourage me and give me reminders of my end goal. That's when I'm reminded that I don't have to let certain things get to me, but I can control it. I'm reminded to do the best I can. I can finish well just like I finished the 3 rounds of the stations. Praise God for finishing 👏! Therefore, I want to encourage you today that you can finish each day well. You can make it through. You may have to stop and regroup, but then you can get back up and keep going. You can keep taking care of you and work on instilling healthy and good habits in your daily routines 💜. You can be appreciative of who and what you have in your life. You can be appreciative of what's coming. You're so close now- keep going! God bless you!!