Do It Again

I remember when I ran track in high school, a very long time ago, the season started off with training. We did something everyday to prepare for what was coming. Some days involved long distance running to build our endurance for long track meet days, we lifted weights every other day to build strength, but the worst days were pyramid days for sprinters. You could guarantee by the end of that practice someone would be crying, sick, and ready to quit. On a good day climbing the pyramid involved 2 - 400's, 4 - 200's, and 6 - 100's, and then we would have to go back down the pyramid with the same intensity. We were young, so it wasn't the volume that made it difficult. Our recovery time was short in between each run, and they were timed. If you missed the required time, you ran more for punishment.

I questioned my existence and my choices on pyramid days because let's be honest, for all that work, I was going to run 4 - 100's during a track meet, preliminary and finals for the 100 meter dash and the same for the 4 x 100 meter relay. All of that preparation, and my max run time in races would be under a minute for a full day.

Well, it's time to do it again.

This principle can be applied to my current life and yours. We are preparing for big things, maybe the launch of a new business or product, the birth of a child, finishing school, or getting married. It takes more time to prepare then it does to live out the climatic moment of winning. It takes months to build a website, refine a product, and complete a business plan prior to launch. It takes months maybe years to become pregnant, prepare the nursery, and gather all that's needed before the birth of a child. It takes two to four years to walk across the stage for 10 seconds at graduation or months to years to prepare for a 15 minute ceremony and two hour wedding reception. We live our lives preparing for big moments, and at times we are so exhausted from the process that we do not fully enjoy or celebrate our accomplishments. It took time, it took commitment, sometimes tears, but it took all of you.

All of us are in the process of working toward something. What's small for some is life changing for others. I want to encourage you to celebrate every win no matter how small it may seem. It takes a long time to prepare, but it takes a lifetime to be grateful, to acknowledge your hard work, and to avoid an "on to the next thing" mentality. When we do not take the time to reflect on the preparation process and all it required, we diminish the win. When I look back on pyramid days, they still happen now they just do not include a track, I wish I would have celebrated finishing instead of thinking, "Thank God that's over."

I'm doing it again, but I am doing it differently. I'm celebrating during the process, and I'm celebrating at the end. I'm choosing joy when I am tired and out of breathe, and that joy is going to carry over so that my response is, "Thank God I was able to do it again!"

What major thing are you currently working on? What will you do to be intentional about celebrating during the process and at the finish line?