Accepting your own accomplishments

Throughout my fitness journey I have used running as my tracker on how things are going. It was the first thing that I started doing when I decided I was sick of being fat and unhealthy so going further and faster is a great way for me to make sure I’m steadily making progress. Last week I ran the furthest I’ve ever ran at one time…. 5 miles! It felt amazing to accomplish this goal and reminded me of something very important that we all need to remember. Your goals and your accomplishments are exactly that…. Yours! They should be celebrated by you, not dismissed because someone else is doing better. The reason I’m writing this is I feel it’s important for others to realize that just because you are not where others are at in life, fitness, work, and/or weight loss does not mean your accomplishments are any less rewarding. Celebrate every single small or big goal that was met!

If you are on Instagram you are fully aware that it is full of fitness inspired accounts, mine included. Some are aimed at weight loss, some are aspiring trainers, and others are people capturing their impeccable physiques in preparation for competitions. While these can be great motivation for some, others get discouraged and frustrated. They base their own results on the results of others, a lot of times people they have never even met in real life. This is not at all healthy and I feel it needs addressed.

There have been a few times that I have felt competitive towards others results because I felt they were better than mine. There have been times that I judged others because I couldn’t see results in their before and after pictures like I thought there should be.  A girl who is preparing for a bikini competition has far different goals than I do. Just like someone who is trying to gain weight has different goals than someone losing hundreds of pounds.  The thing we all need to remember is that we all have different body types, different metabolism, and different hormonal balances. The way we lose weight and build muscle will take a different amount of time and we will all see different results. It is not logical to think that you will see the same results as someone else.

What I’m trying to say here is that you’ve got to accept your goals and accept your accomplishments. Don’t get caught up in what others are doing. Stay focused on you and your life will be happier. It’s taken me a while to realize this and I’ve been happier since.  Life is about balance. Balance in every aspect of your life is crucial. If you are feeling overwhelmed, defeated, and down because of your lack of results then it’s time step back and reevaluate you current situation and make some changes.