This week signaled the start of two 5k beginner groups and my longest training run since the NJ Marathon almost 2 years ago. And while I turned my focus to those priorities, I felt like I was neglecting others. I have been beating myself up a bit for not maintaining my standards.
I’m really going to try to stop doing that. I’m going to really try to not worry about things I cannot do anything about. I want to focus on what I can do. Be grateful for what I have.
Truth be told, happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. Imagine all the wondrous things your mind might embrace if it weren’t wrapped so tightly around your struggles. Always look at what you have, instead of what you have lost. Because it’s not what the world takes away from you that counts; it’s what you do with what you have left. (Chernoff, M. “8 Things to Remember When Everything Is Going Wrong” Marc & Angel Hack Life READ MORE…
Sometimes we get busy and we forget to take the time to be grateful for what we have. I was having one of those weeks. I am just so sick of winter. I’m sick of navigating the snow on my runs. I’m sick of the cumbersome layers. We’re in daylight saving time now. Shouldn’t there be warmth to go with that later sunset?
I’m annoyed that last week’s storm cost me $550 for a tree service that wasn’t in the budget. I’m annoyed that my garden is frozen. I want to put the patio furniture out. I’m sick of picking up after my teenager. I am so ready for all of us to move on to the next chapter.
I believe happiness is a long-term thing, not short spurts of emotion that we chase, but something that is born within and sustained naturally in our being. (Martino, J. “10 Simple things you can do today that will make you happier, backed by science” Collective Evolution READ MORE…
I am, by nature, a happy person. My parents didn’t call me “Little Mary Sunshine” for nothing. But I am also impatient. When I decide I want change, I want it to be immediate. I want to fix everything and I tend to get frustrated when progress is slow. I have to remind myself to just breath. From experience, I know that everything has a way of falling into place as it was intended.
That’s not to say that we don’t have to act. “God helps those that help themselves,” is something my mom would often say. While there is nothing wrong with praying, even through 17 years of Catholic School I was taught that even the best prayers need be backed up with personal action. Focus on what you have control over and do it!
If you aren’t happy try exercise, companionship, a walk in the woods, volunteering, smiling, or meditation, as the article quoted above suggests. Practice gratitude. And if all else fails, it’s perfectly acceptable to just take a nap and wait for dinner.
This week in Marathon training