Have you ever gotten physically fit training for a race, completed it, then quit running?
Maybe you’ve lost a good amount of weight and gained it back again?
How about this? You gave 100% to a relationship. Now you’re married or living together, and you’ve quit trying to impress and please your partner?
We are all guilty of quitting or slacking somewhere along the line.
Here’s why.
Sprinting precedes every goal we want to achieve. The meaning of sprint as a verb is to run at full speed over a short distance. Well, well, well! Isn’t that easy enough? Whatever it may be, if we were to give something our all for a short time and then stop, we could accomplish almost anything.
Simply put, we lack stamina. That is, our ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort.
So, how do we stop slacking off or quitting?
Start with your why. Your “why” is what drives you. Keep asking yourself question after question. Use your first answer to ask your second question, and so on, until your final answer knocks your fist to your forehead. Pinpointing your heart-longing why will keep you going.
Remain consistent. The craziness of sprinting to the finish line is fast and furious and often results in fatigue. Slow and steady wins the race. What good is the trophy if you are no longer the person who earned that trophy? All of your accomplishments become negated. Remember, the best victory isn’t what you did. It’s who you’ve become. That is the point! Focus on becoming fractionally better each day. This way, there is no finish line.
Finally, I want to talk about cross-training. By definition, it is “the action or practice of engaging in two or more sports or types of exercise to improve fitness or performance in one’s main sport.” Now, set aside sports as we know them. Jump up, get creative, and apply this to anything at all.
For example, say your relationship needs a boost. Surprise your love at work with a latte or stick a sweet note on their car’s rearview mirror.
Change up your fitness goals with small monthly challenges that are different every month. One month might be a certain amount of pushups every day, while another month, you can tackle learning a new yoga pose daily.
If you are tired of following the same diet plan that worked initially, pick a new healthy diet that will continue to give you results, with a tasty new twist.
Stamina requires forming habits designed to keep you always heading in the direction of your why.
Sprinters drop at the finish line.
Distance runners save up and keep going.
Drop the sprint. You are in this game called life for the long haul.
