Yesterday I went jogging for the the first time since high school.
Sure, I’ve jogged since high school. I’ve ran to catch up with a bus, I’ve jogged to keep up with a friend; but this was the first time in 7-8 years that I left the house with the single intention to jog; nothing else.
Wow, it felt good. I knew it would feel good.
When it comes to exherting ourselves for the first time in a long time, we all know before we start that we’re going to feel great afterwards.
But that’s the key. It’s going to feel great afterwards. Unfortunately, that great feeling, that feeling of being motivated and fired up to do anything, is a feeling we need before we even step out the door. It’s a feeling needed to help you get going in the first place.
Right?
You may remember a couple of weeks ago I spoke about how focus is the key you need to get you out of bed in the morning, out of the door and jogging down the streets:
Waking up at 5.30am every day in the middle of winter to go for a jog would be a drain on even the most focused of people.
However if when you wake, you simply tell yourself you have to get out of bed with no obligations to put on your jogging clothes, that doesn’t seem like such a tough challenge. When out of bed, if you tell yourself you just have to put on your jogging clothes with no obligation to leave the house that again doesn’t seem like such a hard deal. If you next tell yourself you have to step out your door with no obligation to actually go for a jog, this doesn’t seem so bad either. When stood outside your door, at 5.45am, in your jogging gear… going for a jog would probably look like a fairly good idea.
Focus certainly is the key when it comes to getting started on something so to give you the momentum to get out the door, but I believe another quality plays a part. Namely…
Throwing Away Perfectionism
You heard me correctly.
Being a perfectionist at all times can seriously damage not just the quanity but the quality of your work.
Yesterday when my housemate and I went for our first jog in a combined total of too many years to verbalise, the perfectionish in me was nowhere to be seen.
I was wearing swimming shorts, an old polo shirt (quickly learning this wasn’t the best idea on a hot day) and canvas trainers.
Sure, I need to invest in proper shorts and proper trainers as soon as possible, but if it wasn’t for throwing away perfectionism I wouldn’t have gone for a run in the first place.
I needed to push myself (and thankfully my flatmate pushed me just as much) :)
I’m sure you’ve realised by now that although this post is about jogging, the ideas can be translated into any area of your life.
Focus, and throw away perfectionism. You’ll go far.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The first step to anything is often the hardest. I have fallen into that “perfectionist” trap before – “oh I can’t do that I don’t have this yet…” Or “this isn’t perfect yet I better not publish it – people will know I am human and not a writing robot”
Great post and great reminder to get out there!
Thanks Kelly. We’ve all been there (and probably will be there again) it’s just a case of recognising it and damn well pulling ourselves out of the cycle!
another good post mate. ive been going for runs on and off for a while now….and tell you what once you make it a regular thing it becomes really addictive, but ur right getting out of the door is the biggest challenge, once ur over that challenge it gets easir.
The addiction has kicked in!
I actually hurt my foot the other day, so I’ve not been jogging since the time mentioned in this post, buy my housemate has been going almost every day since.
Good work on the running mate. Maybe we’ll bump into each other in Hyde Park sometime!