Moonshine & Wanderlust

... a cosmopolitan view from a southern perspective

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall… Who Strives to be the Best After All?

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I’ve signed up for personal training recently. I’m like anyone else – I don’t like to admit when I’m not good at something. I used to get frustrated and want to give up. Remember the post about facing your weaknesses and knocking them out? I’m fighting them with both hands up and learning to be quick on my feet. I used to joke with people, especially those who tried to get close to me, that I had “problems” – in all honesty this was just a big, fat cop out and me trying to protect myself. It was an excuse not to kick my own ass and get in gear. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. I know there are areas I need help in that I can’t do on my own. I need help. So, I’m getting it.

Along with becoming better you have to be willing to take criticism. No one likes to be told they’re anything but wonderful. But, we’re not always wonderful. We’re not perfect. I don’t ever want someone to think I’m perfect… because, newsflash: I HAVE FLAWS. We all do. I’d rather have the beautiful and slightly flawed diamond than the impossibly perfect diamond that holds no character. One of my friends told me recently I seem to always have it together. I don’t always have it together. I struggle daily with a myriad of things but I am choosing to overcome. I am choosing to be the best Patty Lauren I can be and that means telling life to come at me and see who walks out of the fire still standing. I refuse to do anything but keep going and go hard. Swallow the hard lessons and learn from the mistakes.

So what does personal training have to do with any of that? Well, I’m going to my personal consultation this week but I have been attending the owner’s class and she mentioned a few things to me at the end of one of our classes.

Form? Needs help.

Upper body? Needs help. (Yeah, no new news there. I hope I don’t slip on a hike anytime soon and have to pull myself up because I’m good as dead).

The natural inclination is to hear:

“#suck#notgood#failure#weak#suck#suck#suck”

Instead, I choose to hear: “#canbebetter#wanttobebetter#icandothis#bringiton#makemecry”

Yes, I used hashtags in my writing. Sue me.

So the next time someone tells you maybe you need a little help… brush the dirt off your shoulder (I may be listening to too much Jay Z while running) and look in the mirror.

Who’s your competition? YOU ARE.

Who makes you better? YOU DO.

Need a little help? TAKE IT

Go make stuff happen.

until next time… xoxo, patty lauren

~

 The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Florence and the Machine

Pour

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In a recent yoga session, our instructor read this beautiful quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”

If you read, “Rooting”, you know it was about renewal branching out, revisiting your roots. It was about growth and about being a better you. If you are going through a period of transition or you are trying to do some internal adjusting you have to remember that the rain is going to come. But, don’t let it drown you.

When you are on the right path you hope it’s always going to be this amazing. Every day seems bright and blue. You have gotten really good at reminding yourself of your purpose. Whatever you have been doing has been working. You are seeing results – whether they are physical, emotional, or mental.

I see this a lot from people I know that are hard core into fitness. The good ones are honest about the plateaus and the frustration of the days that aren’t so good or the days that seem like total failures. And, when you are doing anything that is supposed to be bettering you these days are inevitable. And, they can be crushing. But, what do these people do? They keep going. And, they see the results.

You’ll be having a great day. You’ll seemingly be on a high. Things are going awesome. And, then… the bottom falls out. Maybe you know what triggered it. Maybe you don’t. You just feel the caving in coming and the next thing you know you are crying in yoga class while struggling to do the humble warrior pose.

There will be nights you’re alone and trying to get your legs through the right holes in your underwear will be a struggle. You’ll crash into the wall because you’re simultaneously trying to dress yourself and turn on the front porch light.

You’ll be tempted to go to bed at 8pm watching Teen Witch on Netflix.

You’ll be tempted to order Chinese food in all of its MSG glory and eat a side of pizza with extra cheese. And, hey, who doesn’t love a container of frosting for dessert?

You’ll be tempted to go back to some place that is comfortable but you know is detrimental to your journey. It could be an actual place, it could be a person, or it could be a bad habit you’ve broken. But, it’s comfortable.

Growth is not comfortable. Ask any kid going through puberty. Being better at anything is rarely easy and comfortable.

This month in yoga we are doing heart opening positions and flows and working our way up to the wheel pose. Of course there are some people in the class who have no problem doing the wheel – I am not one of them. I may be pretty flexible and have some good lower body strength, but my upper body strength is peanuts. It’s a work in progress.

For those of us trying to accomplish a successful wheel by the end of the month use foam blocks to help get us to where we need to be. I have managed to get up off the ground, but haven’t been successful in getting my head up off the ground, too. Growth. My arms shake and hurt and I get frustrated, but I don’t give up.

Don’t Give Up.

Keep going. Let the rain come. Look up to the sky and let it pour. Let the rain remind you that you are in a continual stage of growth. There will be days of rain. But, there will be many more days of sunshine. Don’t peddle back now – you have come so far.

That extra cheesy, stuffed crust pizza may feel really good when you’re eating it, but chances are you’re either going to feel guilty about it later or you’re going to be sick. Don’t even get me started on the frosting.

Hanging out with that friend who believes making you feel better equals taking you out to a bar and getting drunk is not looking at your long term growth and success.

Remember the reason you have quit a bad habit. Remember how you felt when you did it and remember why you stopped doing it. Don’t let one bad day ruin your progress.

Go for that run. Go to the gym. Text that friend who will give you a scripture verse or an encouraging word. Heck, watch some Netflix. Call an old friend and catch up. Often times, talking to someone else and hearing about their triumphs and struggles allows us to be the encourager and reminds us that we truly all are in this together.

Our struggles are different but we all need encouragement and support.