Day 8: I'm Just Sitting Here Waiting For My Real Life To Begin

When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an actress. The next Merle Streep was my goal. I wanted to be a star! It was 1977 and I was 23 years old and time was a'wastin. I figured it was now or never, so I packed up my baby blue Kharman Ghia and drove from Pennsylvania to Hollywood. I lasted 3 months before I called my dad and begged him to send me enough money to get back home.

I thought I wanted to be an actress more than anything in the world. But I guess I didn't want it as bad as I thought I did. I didn't achieve my ultimate goal. Not because I wasn't talented enough (I thought I was!) and not that I didn't want it bad enough (I did!), but in the end I wasn't willing to do the hard thing. I wasn't willing to go through all the blood, sweat and tears that one has to go through to get recognized in Hollywood. But sometimes the hard way is the only way to reach your goal. 

I look at this 365 day exercise challenge I have set up for myself and I wonder if I will be able to keep it up. I know there will be trying times to come. I am reconciled to those days that will test my resolve. But this time I won't let anything stop me.  Every other time I've tried to diet and get in shape it failed, and I realize now that it wasn't that I didn't want to reach my goal, I just wasn't willing to do the hard thing... exercise, exercise, exercise.

But it's been 8 days now that I have stuck to my promise, 8 days of daily exercise and watching what I eat. That is longer than I have ever stuck to a diet or exercise program in my life. And this time I think I just might do it. Is it hard? Yes. But for the first time in my life I am not going to look for the easy way out. I am going to embrace my daily exercise routine, even though it's hard. Trying to get fit the easy way doesn't work; hopefully doing it the hard way, the right way, will work for me.

Peace/Love,

Betsy