This is a Marathon not, a Sprint

I was scrolling through Tik-tok and I saw this post by some lad sharing his fitness Journey. He went from looking lanky and slim to looking real jacked and fit and it also made me start reminiscing about my own fitness journey. How far I've come, how much work I've put-in, in the last couple years and the result I've seen. I then searched and saw and old photo of me, and boy did I look small. It made think of one of my all time favourite song, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" by Logic where he said, This is a marathon not a sprint.

Often times we get caught up on the sprint. We focus too much on the immediate results,the fast effort, the quick burn. Pretty much everything that would come to us quickly, but we forget that this short burst of excitements and gratifications are fleeting and dangerous. We forget that life inherently is a marathon; a test or endurance, of pacing, strategy and consistency. My fitness journey and that other guy I saw online reminded me that. It reminded me that I wasn't here before, I've made progress, I'm not there yet, and that I need to keep going. It's all about the journey, not the destination. The destination is one stop, the journey is a lifetime. Relish it. In all honesty, it's not hard to see why people get caught up in the sprint mindset, social media and pretty much everything around us has built a culture of instant gratification. Also, the pressure from social media comparisons is a major play here, and often times these causes burnout, and short-lived success, even worse, poor decision-making under pressure, and then you become impatient with results.

At some point you start to wonder why you should even treat life as a marathon and not a sprint. Well, consistency beats intensity all day, small daily actions compound in every sphere of life. Pacing matters and helps avoid burnout by setting sustainable goals. Long-term vision is key and success takes years, not days. Setbacks are part of the journey, just like cramps or bad weather in a marathon. The best part is, to cultivate this in any part of your life isn't that difficult

So dear reader, remember, any lasting success requires patience and work. Don’t waste your energy chasing the sprint. Focus on running and enjoying your own marathon. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Till next time.