Day 3 – Gratitude For The Falls – Giving Up Too Soon

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb

The thought of giving up has never been an emotional response that didn’t have the sole purpose of giving up just to give up.  There has always been a source for that emotional response, such as fear.  You were afraid of failing, or looking foolish, being less than, or some type of pain. 

When we first began our workouts, there was physical pain that lasted days from sore muscles.  Did you stop?  Did you see it as an opportunity to strengthen a weakness?  Where would you be if you had given up after one – 45-minute class and walked away to go back to your couch?  Maybe you weren’t seeing the progress you wanted, and you gave up.  Do you give yourself a week or a month to see results, and think I gave it plenty of time: “Moving On”. 

A phrase used as a way of minimizing the sting of giving up too soon is: “That’s not for me”.  There are things in your life you can never give up on or turn away from.  You are creating a lifestyle.  Meaning the things you do, are there for the rest of your life.  Such as working out and brushing your teeth.  You want to do both until such time you don’t have either.

What does it seem like if you quit and then decide to go back and try again?  Do you feel less than or now realize this: every time you’ve started again, you weren’t starting from zero. You were starting from experience.  Persistence is quiet. It’s not loud or flashy. It’s that small whisper that says, “Keep going.”  So today, when you feel the pull to quit, pause. Take one more step forward — no matter how small.  Gratitude lives in that moment — when you stand up again and keep moving.