Words To Live By

Today's #HAWMC prompt is to pick an inspirational quote and free-write about it for 15 minutes.  I can assure you that I do not have 15 minutes to free write today, unfortunately, plus most of the quotes I find super inspirational speak for themselves!  So my version of today's challenge will be to provide you with a FEW quotes that I have found inspirational over the years.

1) "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're always right."  Believe it or not, I learned this one at band camp.  Yes, I played the flute.  It has stuck with me since about 1995.  While there are times when this isn't true (no matter how much I THINK I can marry Brad Pitt, that probably isn't going to happen), it is surprisingly accurate, especially when talking about diet and exercise.  I cringe when I hear people say "I can't do that," in regards to lifestyle changes.  Yes, yes you can.  You might not WANT to, but you CAN.

2) "The miracle isn't that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start."  Ahhh, my guy John Bingham.  It is almost silly of me to call out particular quotes because basically his entire book, "The Courage to Start" reduced me to a puddle of tears, circa 2007.  When I first THOUGHT about training for the marathon, a guy ran by me with that quote on his shirt, and I just instantly started.  After that, it is just momentum, but getting over the initial inertia is the hardest part.

3) "Persistance, not perfection."  I am sooooooo far from perfect in terms of living a healthy lifestyle.  And whenever I think I have it nailed, I screw something up, order a pizza, drink a bottle of wine, or spend an aftenroon on the sofa... then the guilt sets in, and I wake up fresh the next morning.  The trick to living healthily is not to be found in perfection, but in the "fall down 9 times, stand up 10" mentality. 

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On a personal note -- I didn't sleep terribly well last night, which means that I did not exercise before work this morning.  Rather, I woke up early enough to make the train, and arrived at my new office in one piece, right around 8:20.  I've had meetings in other buildings today, so I have been moving around quite a bit; breakfast consisted of my Oatmeal Muffin Mug, and lunch was a big salad and a roll... we are grilling dinner tonight, steak, asparagus, and twice baked potatoes.  I've stuck to water so far today, and that will be the goal for tonight as well (no diet soda).

Off and running,
~Jessica