Perseverance and Privilege

This week, it's taken some serious perseverance to stick to my workout plan. It was super cold in the evenings. Not wanting to leave the house, I became reacquainted with my old friend Wii Fit. Last night, I didn't want to be active after a very full day at leadership class and happy hour after. But I rode the bike because I knew I should counteract the sitting all day. And today was one of my tougher runs in the past few weeks, but I knew I should stick it out so I would enjoy the race next week.

I've noticed a theme of perseverance in my reading lately. I just finished a set of books about what our grandparents knew and did for themselves that we don't or take for granted. One chapter talked about how to persevere. Then, there's the article floating around Facebook about how Chinese mothers push their children to success. It states that we don't truly enjoy an activity until we are good at it, and its the parent's responsibility to make sure the hours of practice happen to get there. And on my to-read list is Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, which points out how all great successes take about 10,000 hours of practice to get there (e.g. The Beatles).

This really got me thinking how easily we give up when something gets tough. If we let one small distraction, mistake or failure distract us, how do we get to the success we wish to achieve? We can't. We need to recognize we are human, stuff happens, and move on. Sure, every meal I eat won't be perfect. There will be days I don't have a great workout, or maybe don't even get one in at all. But I'll be ready to jump back on the horse and get after it again, because I want to reach my greater goal of being the healthiest I can be.

I encourage you to do the same, because we have the privilege to take control of our lives, and make choices for ourselves. Yesterday in leadership class, we studied diversity. There were a few parts that really made me realize how fortunate each of us is. We did one activity where you had to "lose" a sense. Some people wore blindfolds over their eyes or mouth, not able to see or hear. I had earplugs, so I wasn't supposed to be able to hear. What was interesting as we walked from one building to another, the "blind" people all noticed a plane flew overhead, that none of the others heard.

Later in the day, we heard from a Holocaust survivor. To hear the things he experienced as a 13-year-old boy were beyond imagine. But he is thankful every day for his privilege to live his life.

So as I was struggling through my run, I thought about how many people aren't able to even get out and run. It reminded me that I am privileged to be able to make time for exercise, to get out and do it, and even to experience the pain and soreness that comes with it. And that's what pushed me through that last tough mile.

So when you have a tough day, in health or otherwise, just remember that someone else may wish with all their heart they could be where you are, doing what you are able to do. And that might help you persevere.