Have you ever been working on accomplishing a goal and feel confident you know how things will be at the end? So confident, that you ignore all signs pointing at you telling you differently. You are determined the outcome is going to be what you have built in your mind. You are invested in the journey and the outcome. Maybe you even accomplish the goal but then you realize, whoops, I missed some lessons along the way.

The Race

When I was in 9th grade, I was running the two-mile race on the Varsity track team. I showed up every day for practice, worked hard, and was not too bad at it. I wasn’t first, but often a far back second from Julie, the two-mile star (not just at our school but at city and state events). Every race, I was more focused on catching Julie than my competitors from other schools.

I don’t remember my daily times or who we raced against or how my skills progressed — but I do remember the all-city track meet. I wanted to be there and the qualifying meet was just a few weeks out. I spent every extra second I had out on the track trying to get better. I wasn’t taking no for an answer and in fact, became even more confident when Julie wasn’t showing up to practice. In my mind, this just meant the door was open to slide right in to that all-city track meet. What coach is going to send a student who is not showing up?

Race day came and looking around I noticed Julie was not there. That did not cause me to ease my effort in the least. I was going out there to hit my best time. I remember running so hard that my nose was running down my face, I passed the coach and asked for a tissue (bless my grandma that raised me to be a lady) and he laughed and said use your sleeve. My legs and lungs were burning. I was pushing hard. I couldn’t see anything but the finish line and my spot at that all-city meet.

I crossed the finish line, puked on my dad’s shoes, and looked up to learn – I won! I felt the accomplishment, joy, and the thrill of knowing I put my mind to something and made it happen. Later that week that I walked in the locker room ready to see my name announcing advancement to the all-city meet. Instead, I was just confused, disappointed, and sad when I saw Julie would be going to the meet.

It turns out, you had to be in 10th grade to go to the city track meet. I wasn’t even eligible! I had these blinders on where could only see a singular goal when the signs were all around me that the finish line wouldn’t be quite what I anticipated. I missed out on a well-deserved celebration because of my preconceived expectations.

What’s Past the Finish Line

More recently I have been experiencing a similar fate but with a more delayed process. Losing 100 lbs. was as beautiful of an experience as I ever imagined. My life has changed in many ways. But I learned that number was in no way the end game. It was not the finish line I had anticipated. I am not free from my toxic relationship with food. Things like negative voices, fear, and old habits keep tempting and challenging me. They have forced me to be attentive to my needs every day.

Friends, there is no real finish line. What you need to strive for is living a healthy and balanced lifestyle day in and out. If you
are trying to only accomplish a number on the scale, a size in clothing, ending one habit, doing a certain number of push-ups…you name it — you are missing the point.

Yes, those are excellent goals but they are not a finish line. It is time to stop striving for perfection in any given area and instead strive for a balance. Yes, there are aspects of your life that likely need more attention than others but you also need to balance your mind, body, and soul. Otherwise, you will just go from one goal to the next wondering why you are still not living the life you desire. The hard pill to swallow for some – you are never done. It’s your blinder.

It was my blinder. I thought crossing the finish line on one race day was all that was required to get what I wanted. I thought losing weight was all that was required to feel unending joy, have healthy relationships. Somehow breaking habits would be easier, toxic people would go away, I would glide along and feel a forever joy that would carry me through life.

But, there are no finish lines when it comes to living the life you want. It requires a balance between having a healthy mind, body, and soul. If you know me by now, this new realization did not stop me, it inspired me. And I am ready to share with you what I have learned.

There Are No Finish Lines

Through your journey of trying to diet, workout, end bad habits, love yourself, and/or addressing addictive or victim behaviors, you should have discovered by now that there is no magic pill or overnight solution. It takes a daily and ongoing effort to live the life you want. For some, that is overwhelming and often leads to giving up and feeling like you have to start over again.

Friends, it is all about balance. Your mind, body, and soul have to be tended to, daily. You should not be seeking perfection but rather focusing effort on building a healthy life that supports your vision of how you want to live.

Join my new group, “A Balance”.

This ongoing group will include weekly live videos and at least one Zoom training each month. There will be daily posts that will provide tips, tricks, and tools to help you work on your mind, body, and soul. One of the best parts, you will be surrounded by those who understand, will not judge, and provide you with support as you work on YOU. I will provide content that challenges you to live your best life by offering up resources I use, bringing guests to share insight and support, and pushing you each day to choose you. You are worth it!

There is no magic pill or one size fits all so join me to start defining what living a balanced life means for you.

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