Finish V. Start

"You can't finish until you start!" - Steck

 My TRX instructor said those words in our class on Thursday to get some of us moving. (disclaimer: I do not know if he heard that and repeated it or if those were words he is the original author of.) 
There were some less than thrilled to get moving that morning, but when he said that, it stuck with me. I have thought about it over the last few days.

 That statement is true of, well, pretty much any task in life.
  You can't finish something if it does not have a beginning.  You have to start in order to see a finish.

 You can't finish a marathon until you line up and cross that start line.
   You can't get stronger if you don't start the process of strengthening.
     You can't Finish a degree if you never start it.
       You can't write a book and finish it if you never write the first page.
        You can't finish a project at work until you begin working on it.

The list goes on. The statement applies to every area of life. It's simple, yet profound.
 And guess what? Starting is often the hardest part, but finishing, whether it's first or last or expected results or not, is something to be proud of.  Starting can be quite intimidating. I'm 33 and I'm about to launch back into school. That's slightly scary. But starting is the hardest part. And I cannot finish getting the degree I wish to attain without starting. After 15 years of having all kinds of reasons for not going to school (all of which have been valid, mind you) I decided that the excuses will just keep going until I start. And so start I will.

 Gaining strength does not come overnight. I am pretty awful at all this TRX stuff, but I'm there, and I'm giving it my best effort .  And as hard as it is, I keep showing up, Starting so I can finish. (Confession: I may flex in the mirror post-class to see if there are results yet! Conclusion- not yet. But results do not come overnight. This will take time and I know it, but I am like a silly person wanting immediate showings.)

I can't just wake up and run my races. I have to train for them. I have to get up each day, make a choice that I'm going to start my run, lace up and head out. I have to start the runs so I can finish. There are plenty days where I am tired and don't want to. And trust me when I tell you that lately, I have been more frustrated than joyful after my runs because things aren't budging too far out of the zone I'm trying to break out of. But, I make the choice each time to keep going. To start it.

 I am not a quitter. I am a go-getter. Sometimes that is to my own detriment, but I have learned well through the years how to better balance. I may not see the results I'm really wanting to see right now, but I keep making the choice to begin so that I can finish. And each finish, whether it's one mile or 13, one hour of class or 10 minutes of squats, one pound or ten...etc. etc. those all add up to every day victories. Perhaps not in the eyes of anyone but me. But for me, I know I didn't quit. I didn't give in to the frustration. And I didn't give up. I started. And I finished. And I will keep going.
 One day at a time.