When you chase down the audacious goal of competing, there are tons of things you have to say no to. You become adept at pushing things away and sacrificing today’s momentary bliss for tomorrow’s achievement. I know from experience that if I am not careful all I can see are the things that I am giving up. All I can see are the things that I have to say no to. No cheesecake. No dessert. No staying out late. No glass of fabulous red wine. No meandering through the day without training hard at the gym for hours.
No, no, no, no….
There are funny moments of telling yourself no when you train for a competition. Talking yourself out of chewing a stick of gum, not eating a handful of berries, or not even ‘just having one’ can take its toll on your mind and emotions.
I will never forget the party where I found myself crying in the washroom because I was being severely harassed about not eating the desserts and questioned about every single thing that was on my plate. I wanted to leave but we had only been there for 40 minutes. This was one of those moments when I wished we had kids at home and could claim a ‘sick kid emergency’ for a quick escape.
I dried my eyes, took a deep breath, steadied myself on the sink, and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
“I can do this. I WANT to do this.”
The problem was that I was overwhelmed by a sense of loss. I felt like I was giving up so much and I wasn’t sure what I was getting in return.
I had forgotten what I was saying yes to. Whenever you say no to something, you are saying yes to something else.
I had lost sight of the fact that I was choosing to:
- Be the healthiest and fittest I have even been in my life
- Fully embrace all of who I am
- Live my dreams and passions out loud and in full color
- Overcome the fat girl that lives inside of me and belittles me at every chance she gets
It feels way better to say YES! than to deprive yourself.
If only I had known this before we went to that party! I could have looked my well meaning and inquisitive friends squarely in the face and said:
“Nope. No cheesecake for me. The triple chocolate caramel cheesecake is probably quite good, but it won’t compare to the taste of success when I accomplish the dreams of my heart.”
Then I could have drank my black coffee with satisfaction and purpose welling up in my heart instead of loss and devastation.
What are you saying YES! to?
Omgosh I totally needed this. I was that girl last night. Instead of thinking about what I wasn’t eating I should have been thinking about what I was saying Yes to! Your genius!
Thank you! It helps to refocus sometimes!! You’re training like crazy and sometimes all you can see are the things you say no to! 🙂
Great post!!
I said YES to having my butt handed to me by my trainer yesterday. 😀 I must have left it somewhere though…whatever is there now is sore. LOL
Hilarious! I love this!! The new butt that you’re saying yes to is probably quite nice though! 😉
We’ll see about that.
She did say that Competitions are Won and Lost by the Butt. At least that’s how she justified handing it to me. LOL
You always send these at the best times. After reading your posts I always feel re-energized and focused. You rock.