Your Definition of Success

This week, it's lessons from the driveway! Haha. Stay with me. :)

My other half and I decided to "build" a parking spot in our yard by digging out several square feet of dirt, covering it with gravel, and outlining it with railroad ties. It looks sooo good now that it's complete but man it was a beast of a job to get it there! We were out there shoveling rocks this morning, when I saw an ant crawl across one of the rocks I was about to scoop up and chuck 6 feet to where it would fill in some holes. The thought suddenly popped in my mind (and I shared out loud with Marc), "Man can you imagine living a life that consisted of risks like being scooped up by giants and flung across the universe, having no idea where you were going to land?!" He kinda laughed at me and said, "Yeah, that would probably be terrifying!" To which, I shocked myself when I said, "Yeah, or like the coolest adventure ever."

Maybe you land in paradise. Maybe you land on a planet full of monsters and aliens. Either way you win.

Why would landing on a planet of monsters make you a winner, you ask?

Because it would force you to see just how strong you are. It would push you to new limits that you would have probably never before pushed yourself. It would allow you to become the strongest, most resilient version of yourself.

And who knows...maybe you'd even have fun.

What does this have to do with wellness? A very fair question.

In my time training and coaching people, I've come to know that we are often our own worst enemy in that we are so afraid of attempting to make a change because...what if we make those changes, those sacrifices...what if we put in the work and we don't "succeed."

To which I ask: What, friend, is your definition of success in this journey? Because if it's seeing a certain number on the scale, you've missed the mark.

Success is achieved day to day...minute to minute, even...as you become the strongest version of you. It's doing the work because you want to be the type of person who does - and who reaps rewards from - that type of work.

I'm sure you know first hand that my ant analogy isn't that far off from life as we know it in a lot of ways. Sometimes we are hit with so many changes and stresses at once, it might as well be like we were thrown onto another planet. When those times come, how can you reframe what you're experiencing? Instead of "Why me?" how can you get yourself to ask, "How can I use this to become stronger? What can I learn here? What if this being chucked into space leads me to another planet more beautiful than I ever could have imagined?"

What if finally taking your health into your hands - taking control of what you can - could lead you to living a life more incredible than you ever dreamed, regardless of that number on the scale? Maybe you'll find that you have more energy. Maybe your confidence levels will grow. Maybe your relationships might improve. The possibilities are kind of endless....once you open yourself up to them.