I
woke up early this morning with the clear cut intention to resume
jogging even if it was for a few hundred metres around my neighbourhood.
Getting to the end of my street, I told myself I could make it to the
next pole by the express.And so it was, from pole to pole, I kept
pushing myself and ran through almost every street in my neighbourhood
covering a few kilometres. It wasn't the least bit an easy task
especially for someone who had lost fitness over time due to irregular
exercise routine but one thing kept me going - My mind. I kept telling
my body that it could do it. I kept pushing hard. All through the run, I
pondered on something I heard at an evening meeting some months back.
The speaker had posed two very thoughtful questions.
"Ask
the people around you who are close to you: What are the two things I
should stop doing? What are the two things I should start doing?"
These
two questions set off a chain reaction in my life. Without any iota of
doubt, if I were to be truthful to myself I knew what I had to do and
stop doing. The first person I asked these questions was myself and I
answered in all honesty. The things I had to stop doping were habits
that had become acceptable patterns over time, while the things I had to
start doing were stuff that would tilt my life closer to my goals e.g
exercising often, eating healthy, reading more, setting targets,
starting new ventures and seeing them through, learning not to give up
on people, being more resilient and enterprising.
The
last two months has seen me come close to these targets. My body has
been able to do new things I never imagined I could do so soon. I guess
this was largely possible as the mind ruled it. It takes grace from The
Supreme Being though and it starts from a conscious decision to
willfully subject the body under the mind.
Think
about it, what is that one thing you are finding so hard to give up?
What is that one thing you are trying to start? It could be a good
habit, routine, venture, or lifestyle. The first step is telling
yourself that it is possible. If you don't believe something is
possible, you will never be able to do it.
Believe! It's mind over matter.
