How Do You Define Success For Yourself?
Kristyn Meyer is on a journey to make herself the best human that she can be. These posts are a reflection of that. She welcomes your support via reading and through commissioned affiliate links within her posts! To stay up to date on all of her shenanigans, please subscribe to her email list! (psst…there’s a free gift involved)
Per my 40 Before 40 Bucket List, I want to complete a workout program ON TIME. That seems simple enough, right? One workout program. On time. That’s it.
But it just has not been that simple for me.
The current regime that I am doing through Beachbody is Barre Blend. The schedule calls for a 30-45 minute workout Monday through Friday with two rest days on the weekend. During those rest days you are free to participate in other workouts or classes if you feel so inclined.
For the most part I have stuck with the plan this time around. Other programs I have skipped full weeks of working out. This one I have done five times a week, each week. My rest days haven’t always fallen on Saturday and Sunday, but I have never exceeded two rest days per week.
Until this week.
At the start of the weekend I developed a cough. I didn’t think it was much, just a cold probably. But I couldn’t get past about 10 minutes of my Friday afternoon workout and I skipped a visit with my friends super snuggly newborn baby because of it just to be safe. The next day I still was coughing but didn’t feel horrible, so as a precaution I wore a mask when visiting a friend at the hospital. You can never be too cautious.
It’s a good thing I was.
Because that night it all hit. I was sick.
The next day I went to urgent care and I have bronchitis. They have me on steroids, cough suppressants and inhalers.
I feel a million times better already, but I have definitely been learning my limits. The other night I straightened up the house and switched laundry and my chest was burning afterwards. I knew then I needed to take it easy. Yesterday morning I got the kids up and around, made them breakfast, got my daughter off to school and started a load of laundry and I was short of breath.
Needless to say, my workouts are paused for a few more days.
And my goal is even more destroyed than it was.
This has lead me to think about how I personally define success, for me and myself. Not for Bob next door or Gertrude down the street. Just me.
What is success for Kristyn Meyer?!?!
When I wrote out my 40 Before 40 list, my idea of success that lived in my head, as it related to completing a fitness program on time, was:
- Follow the calendar exactly
- Rest days on calendar-determined rest days
- No excuses for switching days around
Clearly, that isn’t how it played out this time, or any time for that matter.
But to look from a different angle, the definition of success – per Merriam-Webster – is:
1a: degree or measure of succeeding b: favorable or desired outcome also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
2: one that succeeds
Read that again. It says:
Degree or Measure.
Not fully and 100%.
Let that sink in.
How Do YOU Define Success For Yourself?
After reflecting on that, maybe my vision of success when I wrote the list should have been:
- Do required workouts each week
- Listen to my body to allow for QUALITY workouts instead of QUANTITY
- Make myself and my mental and physical health a priority, and don’t allow for mediocre excuses to miss out on a workout.
I think at times I go full force on a plan or goal and don’t think realistically. As a person who thrives with calendars and lists and routine, it’s what I gravitate to. But it doesn’t jive with life 100% of the time. In order to make something work for you, you need to incorporate it into your life in a fashion where you are set up in the best way possible to achieve it.
Right?
But the biggest key is to be honest with yourself. That’s my biggest fault. There have been so many times in the past that I have blown off a workout for being “too tired” or “not in the mood”. You have to really look at the situation and decide – are you really too tired? Can you not muster up any energy or drink some pre-workout to get the job done? What does not in the mood really mean? Are you being lazy? Are you sick? Can you really not handle getting up for 30 minutes to work out? Just 30 minutes out of your day?
It is beyond important to push yourself to be your best version and venture out of your comfort zone. There is a distinct difference between excuse making and having legitimate reasons. As long as your reasons are truly legitimate, you can feel comfortable and confident that you are being successful. But if you know in your gut that you are in the wrong and that you should be putting in more effort, well, success really doesn’t fit into that arena then does it?
Bottom line is: success doesn’t mean reaching 100%.
Success means doing better than you did the last time. Success means being proud of the effort you made. It means showing up when you don’t want to. It is pushing yourself out of bad habits and away from your comfort zone. It’s making a difference from the inside out in ways that make YOU feel good.
For me, I will still be successful in meeting my bucket list goal. Up until this point I have completed the workouts, and once I am able to finish the program I will. I will put a good faith effort into every single one just like I have been and I will push myself to reach new levels. What I do know is that I am successful and I will continue to be successful because I have done better this time around than any other time. I have lost 14 pounds in seven weeks, 6 inches off my waist, 2.5 inches off my hips, and 3 inches off my chest. My body fat percentage has dropped by over 2%. My mental health is better than ever and I look forward to working out every day.
Did I do it by the book? Nope.
But DAMN I did good!
You define your own success, it’s unique to you. Do what makes yourself proud. Be your biggest fan and invest in yourself.
