It's the Process; Not the Product

Ever since I stopped working at the glass factory, I have had to make conscious efforts to maintain my physical fitness, which led me to appreciate the physical and health benefits I was receiving from being active daily. While the work was challenging, it was not so strenuous to the point where my body ached and I was left comatose on the couch. It was a medium-intensity activity, but I did it almost every day. The result is that I lost 20 pounds, became stronger, and my endurance dramatically increased. I subconsciously committed to the process, the work I was doing, and the results manifested afterwards.

After quitting, I felt that I didn't want to lose this habit of physical health, so I began committing to a minimum of 2 days a week of intense exercise. I kept the bar low for daily goals, starting off with bodyweight exercises at home and slow jogs of shorter distances. I didn't exceed my limits, but rather tested the limits—persistently. While there were fewer days I was being active, the intensity was far greater. It meant that I was furthering my strength and endurance with fewer days of exercise. As I developed my fitness routine, my limits expanded. At some point 10 pull ups in the day didn't seem like enough, so I tried 15, and that was the new limit.

My goal wasn't to do more pull ups though; it was to commit to testing my physical capabilities everyday. If I forever was stuck at 10 pull ups a day, two days a week, that wouldn't be a failure to me. I would have succeeded in committing to my goal of fitness that I have set for myself, and that success is my motivator to do it again next week. Committing to your physical fitness doesn't have to be about sculpting your body and making dramatic changes in a short amount of time. It's above all about celebrating the capabilities that you have today, and expanding your health and longevity well into the future. It is important to love the routine you develop and the committment you make for yourself rather than the results you want to see in the future. Fall in love with the process of self-betterment—not the product.