Article 193 - Do you have what it takes to win?

Winning and succeeding with the great power of persistence and determination

My wife often ask me a question – “Why do I always have to finish every project and challenge that I choose to start or engage in, and then working super hard each day even when I should take it easy and just relax?” And you know what, my answer is always the same – “I don’t know. I just can’t do it any other way.” If I signed up for something, whether it is a personal or professional challenge, I must not only finish it within set deadlines, but I also have to do the best job I can, no matter what.

Here is one example for you. Twelve weeks ago, I chose to do a 12-week fitness challenge program, where I was expected to exercise five days per week for twelve weeks straight. Each day would consist of a quick warm up, followed by 25-30 minutes of intense physical (with weights) or cardio workout, and finish with 8-10 minutes of stretching or yoga. When I stared the program, I didn’t really knew what I was signing up for, because, I would not know which exercises from the following fitness plan categories: Tabata, Plyometrics, Cardio-Strength Intervals, Interval Training, or HIIT, I would be expected to do until the day of the actual workout, so every day was a surprise. On top of highly physically-demanding exercises that I had to do each day, I also had to get in the habit of waking up every day at 6am to complete each workout, before it was time to take a shower and take kids to school. Setting different hard exercises aside, waking up early each i to perform intense physical workout was probably the most difficult part of the entire challenge. Now, with all this in mind, I was determined to stick to the program for 12 weeks, exercising 5 days each week, no matter how tired I was or how unwilling to do any physical activity I was on any given day. It was extremely difficult. Some days I would wake up at the sound of my alarm and just lay there staring in the darkness of the bedroom in a comfortable bed, contemplating if I should just take one day and skip. However, as tempting as it was to skip one day, my persistence and determination to complete the program uninterrupted kept me going. I am pleased to say that I have successfully completed 12-week fitness challenge program, completing a total of 180 workouts, over 23K calories burned, and spending over 1.9K minutes training in total. Once again, I had proven to myself that determination, persistence, and never-give-up attitude does pay off.

Now, you would think that I would take a break from fitness challenges and workouts, and just relax for few days? But no, I immediately enrolled into yet another 12-week fitness program without even giving it a second thought. Sure, I know that this would be more difficult and more physically demanding then the previous 12-week program. I also know that I would have to continue to wake up five days per week at 6am to workout, no matter how hard it gets, and being tempted to quit and take it easy every day. However, no matter how hard it gets, I know that I can do it, I can and will win no matter what.
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I am sharing this story just to show you that everyone is capable of setting a goal and then work hard with extreme determination and persistence to accomplish a set goal. All we would need to remember is that it will be difficult at times, that we will be tempted by outside factors all around us, in our daily lives, to stop and quit. But, as long as we do not let those outside factors and our own mind convince us that we are uncapable of completing that what we’ve started, then we will accomplish whatever  we’ve set out to do, and once again prove to ourselves that we can. Believe in yourself, and keep on going, keep on trying, no matter how hard it gets every day.