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This Time with Feeling

This could be the start of something big. And why not? I love new beginnings. I love starting projects, kicking things off, and embracing positive change. Things you may overhear me say: "I started my new diet today." "I started a new class this week." "Hey, I just got a new magazine!" (At this point, I think my wife is shopping for a new husband.) I love starting new things so much that I often find myself starting the same thing over again.

That's probably because I fail a lot.

Don't worry - unlike some people (too many people), I don't take personal failure all that personally. I'll give you an example. I'd say that I've started some new workout program roughly eight thousand times. (Give or take five hundred.) Here's how it happens: I'll walk by a mirror, notice how much more of me there is than there used to be, and say enough is enough. I'll do some fitness research, pick a motivating routine, throw on my legwarmers, and pop in my mix tape with "Eye of the Tiger" and "U Can't Touch This". (Stop. Hammer time.)

Sometimes, I'll stick to a solid workout schedule for months. Not always. The last time I started a new program, it was over faster than Hulk Hogan's presidential bid.

So what happened? And more importantly, now what?

The answer is simple: I fell off my routine. (You didn't think that only happened to you, did you?) No need for excuses, I just didn't get it done. I convinced myself that I was too busy with other things, and before I knew it - wham. (No, not "Wham!" - that's a different mix tape.)

If you're like most people, you're likely to find that life has this pesky way of getting in the way of that "better life" you want for yourself. We've all been there. We get frustrated. Weeks pass. Even months. Still no washboard abs. (Drat!) All too often, we carry around heaping helpings of guilt, frustration, and our embarrassment.

Can we agree that success is hard enough without our making it harder than it needs to be? It's time for a change of perspective here. Nobody is perfect all the time. We need to realize that we're going to fail. It's inevitable. But we don't have defeat ourselves in the process. The only lasting failure in my mind is failing to try again.

So when you come up short, you're left with only one clear course of action: start again. And again. And again. As many times as it takes.

In my case, I simply can't give up - personal fitness is one of my goals for next year. (Those crunches aren't going to crunch themselves, doggone it.) So, I'm going to try again. I've got a simple new workout schedule. I'll start small and remind myself that my immediate task is to develop a consistent schedule and to recommit to fitness as a priority in my life. (Where's my mix tape?)

No remorse, no guilt. Just renewed effort and the resolve that if I keep at it, I won't be beaten. There's nobody on the planet who can convince me that I can't be successful. (Guess what - those same nobodies wouldn't be able to convince me that you can't be successful in your life, either.) There are just too many things I can do right - starting right now - for me to think that I am destined to screw up forever.

So if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get this party started (again).