Commitment
So Jim asked me to guest blog for him this week. He thought commitment would be a great topic. What he didn't know is that this is the hardest thing in the world for me to do. I joke that I’m the president of Quitters Anonymous. I have been so afraid of commitment for the past 20 years it’s almost funny.
I started my blog bethiesaidyes.blogspot.com back in May because I’m training for my first half-marathon in September. When I told my brother I signed up, he asked me if I was drunk. I then told him about the blog and he was like nothing like putting yourself out there. But I had to put it all out there. Otherwise, I’d quit.
I have failed to finish so many things, but I am so ready for this to change. I think so many of us fight to find the motivation to commit to challenging opportunities. At this point I feel like I have found the motivation to not screw this up and not self-destruct. One of my great supporters put it perfectly. He told me this half marathon I’m training for is the cap on the old life of Beth and the new one gets to move on.
The commitment to changing our lives is so hard. But I am here to tell you I’m ready. I have stopped dreaming of the finish line. Instead I have committed to each day of training. I know even the best runners have bad days when they don’t want to run. My great little brother always reminds me you never regret working out. I have never regretted eating right or running a race or helping support someone else.
For so many years I would think to myself, why can’t that be me… losing weight, running a race, or committing to training. Well, it was all me. I was afraid of the commitment to change. Right now I don’t regret a thing. I am truly committed to not failing. This is the most selfish thing I have ever done and I’m proud of it. By committing to this change I commit to you all that I’m not going to give up… And I’m going to get up every morning and maybe fight to get out at 4:30 am to run. But I’m going to be there in my Life is Good cap running the streets of Dubuque. Join me if you want. I may not talk, but I’ll be there.
