Renewed Purpose

Taking full control of one’s life has never been a walk in the park. There are times when the going gets so tough that we want to give up and retreat into our comfort zone. But the mark of a highly effective individual is not one who will surrender in the face of adversity but trudge on with positivity and mental fortitude. It sounds easy enough to set a goal and keeping telling yourself that you want to achieve it but it’s never that simple.

Inevitably, somewhere along that journey, you’ll feel the initial passion and zest waning and start giving yourself free passes and easy ways out. It’s oft said that life’s a marathon, not a sprint, and I find this mantra really resonates with me. I started my journey to creating a fitter version of myself in 2010. After realizing how challenging it was to keep up with rigours of running without actually doing it regularly, I committed myself to pounding the tarmac weekly.

7 years has been a long time to commit to a cause, and unsurprisingly, there were times when I decided to skip running thinking I’ll make up for it another day. I never did. That’s why to make sure I keep on track this year, I wrote this into my new year’s resolution – 1km for 365 days. When you break it down into bite-sized pieces, it doesn’t seem that daunting anymore. Since then, I’ve been religiously clocking miles, fuelled by a renewed sense of purpose.

Over the years, I have gradually moved to incorporate calisthenics into my workout routine for a more holistic approach to fitness. While running still very much served to improve cardio, bodyweight exercises were aimed at building strength. Focus and discipline became imperative as fatigue and procrastination quickly creep in. Again, I admit I’ve taken a day off or two on more than a few occasions in the past. But that’s about to change.

With newfound motivation to keep in shape, every time I feel like skipping a day of training, I tell myself all it takes is only a few minutes a day to work out. I most certainly can because this, as I’ve recently learnt, is within my circle of influence which I have full control over. And each day as I see myself growing stronger and faster – the body a testament of the results, it serves as an intrinsic reminder that I can only get better with time.