It's the start that stops most people...

This morning, the fog loved me. It wrapped me deep into the warmth of my bed and so gently nudged me back under the covers as I considered starting my day. Oh, how wonderful to sleep when the fog comes. A sweet cozy dreamland...

After a long battle with the snooze button, I finally decided to wake up. Only starting my run wasn't an option anymore, starting my day took priority as my son needed to be at school in ten minutes. As many of you realize, once the day starts, the you time stops. It no longer factors into the day's plan. Running from here to there has a completely different meaning at 6 a.m as it does at 8 a.m. My physical run ended up having to be squeezed into a long day of work. I felt rushed the rest of the day. So I need to work on figuring out what it is that will get me to start tomorrow, to get up running...

Have you heard the saying,"It's the start that stops most people." I see that in my life everyday and I don't like it. I need to figure out why I let it get me.

I think the start won't stop us if we stop being most people. Most people fit into some other categories I would like to avoid. Most people will fail. Most people will quit. Most people don't care. Most people die before they try. Most people don't run marathons. Most people don't believe...

I don't want to be most people; I just want to be me.

I think the start won't stop us if, when we start, we don't stop. That makes the start become a one time battle. We can be brave enough for one start, right? Every start after the first one can be a continue, a perseverance, a relentless effort, a habit.

I don't have the energy to be brave everyday; I just have the energy for my habits.

I think the start won't stop us if we stop being afraid of the journey. A journey always changes us. Good or bad. It is always hard. There are choices. There are mistakes, wrong turns, side streets, derailments, even a crash. Journeys are exhausting; but, we take them anyway. We have faith that days will get better. We believe in ourselves enough to make the hard choices despite the pain and fear.

I don't want to be afraid; I just want to be brave.

I think the start won't stop us if we learn to see the finish. We start so many things, but how many do we complete? We exhaust ourselves in effort, only to never see the finish. We see the failures, pain, loss. We give up. But! There is always room to start again. We need to try to see the finish we want to have and find courage to go the distance.

I don't want to say it's finished; I want to go the distance.

It's the start that stops most people. Good thing I'm just me.

~In happiness,
Beth