Can't see the trees...

Just thought about the saying, "Can't see the forest for the trees" and realized that I can't see the TREES because of the forest. The forest in my case is my goal, whether that's wearing a size 6 again or running a 5K. The trees are the actions I need take or the changes I need to make to reach it. I think of the goal as the end of the story instead of where it begins and get so overwhelmed by the trees that I veer off track and try to take the path of least resistance instead.

Every day at the gym I seem to lose my focus by focusing on the wrong things. I hop on the treadmill after a 5 mile bike ride to warm up. I start walking at a decent pace when all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I see a blonde model in perfectly coordinated American Apparel workout wear step on the machine next to me. She presses the speed button up higher and higher until she's running a 7 minute mile. She didn't even WARM UP!

As I get ready for my 'run' at a pace of slightly more than an 11 minute mile, I notice that she's on mile 3 and hasn't even broken a sweat. I on the otherhand am drenched, out of breath and feel like I could die. Oh, and I've only run a quarter of a mile so far.

The reality of this is that I compare myself to everyone else. I take notice of how easily it seems to come for some people. I imagine that they are naturally thin and don't have to work for it when I know that most likely they do. And they work hard. These comparisons set off the self-defeating thoughts in my head that tell me I'll never be able to do it. I might as well give up. Why bother? This is where I get lost in the trees. I lose my way, overwhelm myself and eventually quit. It's obvious that thinking that way won't help me get any closer to my goals.

When I finally take a deep breath and tell myself that everyone works at their own pace and that I'm doing just fine, I see someone else approach the machine on the left. This person is pretty overweight, middle aged and looking like it's their first day in the gym. I notice that their workout consists of walking at a pace that's probably a 16 minute mile. They're huffing and puffing and sweating and holding on for dear life. It's then that I realize everyone is someone else's inspiration and motivation. Yes, I want to be that person who can run a 5K in less than hour but someone else watching me might be thinking they wish they could just walk a little faster for a little longer.