I see it happen every year around this time. It starts to get warmer outside…and quieter inside. Just weeks before, there were crowds and long lines…now there’s no wait for anything and there’s room for my stuff.
At the gym.
For some reason, March seems to be the month were workout dreams go to die.
After all the money spent on new workout clothes and gym membership registration fees…after all the mirror selfies and hashtags about how we “woke up like this”…many of us wind up right back in the same state of health we were in during Thanksgiving dinner four months ago!
I’m not here to judge…everyone has their reasons…and we all have a way of believing the stories we tell ourselves. But as I looked around my gym today, I was reminded that this is bigger than whether you get the perfect abs or waist-to-hip ratio.
What I saw in the gym today is a lot like what I see in daily life everyday. The Regulars – the people who work out & exercise regularly – seem to build & maintain their physique effortlessly.
The Regulars know each other. The Regulars exchange strategies, techniques, and contacts. The Regulars don’t seem to phased by any of the first-timers and some-timers who seem to want attention more than results. And the Regulars are always in the gym…always working…always getting better.
Watching the Regulars reminded me of the Dreamers. The Dreamers have good intentions. The Dreamers want to get healthy, to stay in shape, and to feel good about their bodies. The Dreamers work hard to block out the voices in their head (and in their lives) that saying the effort is not worth it…that it’s is a waste of time….that they won’t be able to reach the goals they set on January 1st.
To all the Dreamers: We see you. We are you.
Whether you’re trying to get in shape or get a job…
Whether you want to get out of debt or get into college…
Whether you’re looking for a way out of the hood or a way into a new opportunity…
Don’t give up. Borrow a page from the Regulars. Surround yourself with people who are actively working to reach their goals. It doesn’t matter if it’s only one person or 100. Look for communities of like-minded people built on respect and not jealousy. Pay no attention to people who want to be seen more than they want to work.
And stay in the gym…always working…always getting better.
-Day G.
Host, Class of Hope & Change