As I trained for my first (and to date, only) marathon, the words of a longtime friend kept coming to mind.
Always remember, YOU signed up for this.
I laughed when he said it, but I didn’t know how true his statement was. Yes, I registered online and paid the registration fee. I printed out the training plan. I bought new gear. The anticipation was pretty exciting, before I had put in any work.
The first training morning that it was pouring rain, with a 7-mile run on the plan, I knew what he meant. Climbing back under those covers would feel so nice.
I signed up for this.
No one else registered me. No one forced me to do it. It came down to me. I made the commitment.
A few weeks in, with my knees sore and my feet complaining, I confronted a long hill on my route. Turning around or simply walking it sounded like a good idea.
I signed up for this.
When is the last time you committed to something that you later, even momentarily, regretted? Most of us do it all the time, right?
Just this morning, a friend was saying how she’s already “over” her son’s lengthy travel sports season. They were ecstatic a few months ago when he made the team, even though she knew she would be on the road a lot to practices and games, even spending frequent weekends away. He truly loves the sport and has talent, so they wanted to encourage him and give him this opportunity. With the season slated to last another three months, though, the commitment isn’t so exciting anymore.
Probably you’ve signed up for a committee at church or your child’s school and realized later that it was more involved than you thought or that you really didn’t have a passion for it.
What to do? We signed up for it. We answer yes before we think through what we’re not only saying yes to, but also what we’re ultimately saying no to at the same time.
Should we back out gracefully, admitting that we committed too quickly, or push through and let it be a learning experience for next time? I don’t know the answer to that for you, but if we’re wise, we’ll let it guide our future decisions.
Next time, maybe we’ll pause before answering. Give it at least 10 seconds before responding; an hour is better. Overnight is best. And, before saying yes, maybe we’ll think of what we’ll also have to say no to.
On about Mile 20 of my marathon, the incline of a central Florida exit ramp felt like a mountain. I was taking it one step at a time. I wasn’t sure I could eat one more banana.
I signed up for this.
I dug in. I dug deeper.
Near the finish line, a gospel choir sang rousing anthems. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I realized I had made it. That feeling of crossing the finish line, achieving a goal?
I signed up for that, too.
Question: What have you committed to lately that’s taken some extra effort to continue? What have you learned about yourself through it?
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