It’s terrific that I don’t rely on this blog for my full-time income because I’d be super poor. I’m seriously down to only one affiliate because I’m inconsistent. I have other competing priorities, and I’m not a fan of the current hustle culture/mindset. I know, I have like 4 side gigs, but I don’t work at them so hard that any of them will make me a millionaire, and I’m okay with that. Instead, I’m working on patience and reliability in the areas that truly matter. The title “what is the gain” comes into play here. There’s a lot to gain by being heavily involved in hustle culture, but I think there’s a lot more to gain by meeting yourself where you are. This can be with eating habits, working out, career trajectory, finances, etc. What’s the daily or even weekly victory when making small changes? What’s the gain?
Endurance
Endurance is my gain today. A little backstory for you. If you’re an avid reader of A Dash of Sam or follow me on Instagram, you know I run and love running. It’s my peace. However, I broke my foot after my last half marathon in October 2021. It was likely already hurt from a tumble down my stairs, but I decided to run 13.1 miles anyway and finished on a broken foot. That’s not cool or admirable. It’s really dumb. In two years, that was my second significant running injury caused by impatience. I always want to run the race. Always! I don’t want to rest or pay attention to aches and pains. As previously mentioned, running is my peace. Racing is fun. I’m the kind of person who trains around 9’00 to 9’30 per mile and then races around 8:30. The crowd’s energy and adrenaline pump me up, and I run faster. It’s time for me to accept that’s not where I am anymore.
Since that race, my running routine has slowed dramatically. You might even say halted completely. Not just because of the injury, but because I’m blessed with body dysmorphia, anxiety, and a number of other things I was trying to get under control without worrying about how many calories I was burning. That is until recently. Running friend Rachel is holding me more accountable and reminding me that I run for my mental health – not for calorie burn. Sunday night, I decided to take my running all the way back to basics. Basics for me isn’t walking because I want to run. I found a “Get Started” program in the Nike Run Club app. It consists of 3 runs a week for 4 weeks. I ran Monday and today. My pace Monday was a crazy…wait for it… 13’12. I’ve never run that slow unless the run includes walking. There was no walking Monday; it was an incredibly slow and easy run. I wanted to go faster, but I refrained. I listened to Nike Coach Chris Bennett and took it slow and easy. Today, my pace was 12’26. That’s still very slow for me, but I finished two nonstop runs this week, and my body doesn’t hurt. Of course, I’m sore, but I’m not in pain. That’s huge. I’m increasing endurance with every run and gaining the thrill of running with no foot or leg pain. It’s a beautiful thing.
Let’s Make a Metaphor
If you’re unsure what a metaphor is, please click this link and learn before moving on.
What is your endurance today? In that sentence, endurance equals “gain.” When the day is done, what will you have gained? You don’t have to reach your end goal to gain something. It could have been an incredibly shitty day, but you probably still gained something. Oh, you want examples? Okay!
“Today was an absolute dumpster fire, but my endurance is the 15-minute workout I snuck in because it’s 15 minutes more than I’ve worked out in a month”.
“My day started by completing a stupid hard gym session that I didn’t enjoy at all, crying at the doctor’s office very randomly, going into a slight panic about looking stupid in front of my doctor, and finding out that the person I had dinner with last night just tested positive for Covid. My endurance is laughter when everything else sucks” (This one might be a real-life Sam example) #SHAlaughtertotherescue
I think you probably understand my point if you’re still reading. Endurance is [your gain].
Full Circle
Remember my post Strive to Be Better – Not Your Best? Go back and reread it for a reminder if you need to. We’re thinking in very small timelines here. What’s your “better” at the end of the day? AKA, what’s your endurance? AKA, what’s your gain?
We all know I’m a nerd for learning. I want to learn all the things. I’m not asking you to be like me. I’d encourage you not to be like me, actually. Stay with me, please! It’s all going to come full circle. Let’s say your long-term goal is to pay off debt. That’s a daunting goal regardless of what your debt is. Because the internet is what it is, an article about the snowball vs. avalanche method popped up as a suggested read today, and you thought, “what the hell, let’s read this.” Even if you made no additional monetary payments toward your debt, you learned about two different methods that have worked for many people who followed them and maybe even chose which method you’ll follow. That’s your gain!
Challenge Time
My challenge to you is to think about one of your goals that you’ve been actively working toward. What gain did you make today? What was your victory? Mine was running for 25 minutes nonstop. It was slow and not pretty, but that’s my gain. Did you read an article that taught you something you didn’t know? Perhaps, you picked up some dumbbells and did a few bicep curls. Those are gains toward the larger goal. Those are your victories!
Do the challenge. Right now! Sorry, for yelling. But, why not do it now? This one doesn’t take a lot of time. Then tag me on Instagram, @DrSamDean, telling me what your gain was today. I want to celebrate with you! I’m a pretty good cheerleader!
Meet yourself where you are. Be patient with where you’re going. Do the work at a comfortable pace, and you’ll get there.
Peace out y’all.
