Just Keep Going

This is the famous couch that I sat on for months watching stupid tv and
doing a whole lot of nothing.

I set a goal on January 1st. (Actually, Little Miss Type-A set 37 goals for 2014, but for brevity’s sake, I’ll tell you about one).

Goal #12: I will work out everyday in January.  (So cliché, I know).

And you know what?  Except for one day, I actually did it.  30 days of working out.  Trust me, I’m more shocked than you.  I’m equally shocked that:

a) I’m actually confessing that I didn’t work out one day, and

b) I’m (trying) not to beat myself up over it. (Really, one day? Ugh.  Fine, moving on).

Progress (sorta)!

I learned 3 things from this little experiment: 

1. Losing weight is freaking hard.  Especially as I get older. 
2. I love working out.  I reconnected with my crazy bone that absolutely adores, and is now completely addicted to it.
3. No matter what, I had to just keep going.  There were days that I didn’t want to do a darn thing.  But I realized if I did something, anything, it always motivated me to do more.

I’ve been thinking about how it would have been great to take my own just keep going advice at other times in my life.   I thought of one example in particular.

Last year when I lost my job and moved to Newport Beach, I had no job, few friends, and LOADS of time on my hands.  Do you know what I decided to do?  Take daily 4-hour hikes, become a gourmet chef, devour Forbes’ Best Business Books of 2012?  Nope.  I thought it would be a great idea to sit on my couch and catch up on Mad Men.  

For months, I felt very sorry for myself.  I questioned what the heck happened to my seemingly perfect life.  And God?  I was downright pissed at him, wondering why he’d let this happen to me.

(Side note: This was really weird behavior for me.  I’ve always been a positive, successful little fireball.  So my friends and family were pretty worried.  Luckily, good things came out of that sad little chapter in my life.  As in, really good, miraculous things).

Back to my point (I swear I have one).  Life will always throw me curve balls. I can choose to knock them out of the park, or wallow in the dugout.

I choose to stay in the game*. To just keep going.

Because that’s when the magic happens. 

Those are the times when I need God most.  Those hardships are when I’m being refined.  And he’s with me, comforting me, strengthening me, every step of the way.

So if you’re going through a rough time, I get it.  We all do. 

Just keep going. 

*This baseball analogy came out of left field.  Ha! Seriously, I will stop now.