by Javon Adams
Run Streak: 6
I was watching a motivational video by Eric Thomas the other day and something he said resonated with me. Other people have said this but the messenger seemed to catch me at the right place and right time. The message was a simple one and allow me to paraphrase, ‘Your kids don’t care what you SAY, they watch what you DO!’ Telling your child how important it is to eat healthy and then proceeding to order take out 3 or 4 days a week sends a clear message, albeit the wrong one. Encouraging them to show resilience and never give up but you give up at the first sign of adversity speaks volumes.
I often tell my sons to give 100% effort in everything they do but in that moment I faced the realization that I was not DOING as I SAID. There are many aspects of my life that I can give more effort such as work, business, health, relationships and marriage. While I can say that my efforts have markedly increased in the area of my marriage, the other areas are far from being optimized.
I have shared my commitment to being present during runs and that has made them more enjoyable but I neglect the other side of running, working out. If I had to put effort on a scale of 1-100, my workout number would be somewhere around 30. Needless to say, that presents a lot of room for improvement. And what better day to build a better me than today? Some of the guys in my Black Men Run Phoenix chapter post workout challenges in Facebook forum. One recent challenge centered on Burpees.
Perhaps I avoid workouts like these because they reveal how far I have to go or my lack of form. Today, before work I decided to increase my level of effort in my health category and performed 25 burpees. Not all at once, of course. The number of sets it took will decrease over time, but I feel better for having done the work. One cannot improve if they do not start. The growth comes in the doing, not the saying.