If I could turn back time...

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden, Hall of Fame college basketball coach

I know, you're chomping at the bit for a post-race recap and I'm chomping at the bit to share it... and not to leave you hanging - it went great! It was a fantastic experience and I did WAY better than I expected! Not to mention getting to spend some quality time with my bud, Julee.

But as sometimes happens the brain has other ideas. You see, there's been this thought niggling at the back of my brain. with all that went on this weekend, it really moved to the forefront:

Past performance is not an indicator of future results.

How many times have we heard that? Usually it's in relation to money investments - stocks, money market accounts, etc. - where the overall results are are at the whim of the market. Something that did fantastic for the last 5 years can tank tomorrow. Conversely, something that had a low return can soar next week.

It's a lot like life, isn't it?

How many of us are living life, making decisions based on our past performance?

"I've tried to lose weight so many times, and gained it all back/didn't lose/had a hard time/etc!"

...for that matter, how many of us are still living in the past?

"I used to run track and play volleyball in high school!" (Never mind that was 25 years ago and haven't worked out since.)

Heck, I approached my 5K with the same 'past performance/future results' attitude. I was convinced it would take me 45 minutes or more because that's how long it's taken me in the past. I was so surprised by my finishing time that the guy at the end asked if I was upset by my time (I know I had a weird look on my face), and I said no, I thought the clock was broken!

How many times have you let your something from your past hold you back? A success that limit your capacity to push a little more? (There's NO way I could do that again! It was a fluke! Or I already did that once, why try harder?)

Reliving glory days and looking at today with regret for lost endurance/fitness/achievements instead of looking ahead to all the amazing things life has in store for you? (Can I just say that, for the first time, I'm grateful that I wasn't involved in much in high school/college? For me, TODAY is the best of times and tomorrow is even better!)

A fear of failing (again?) keeping you from getting started? A voice from your past - mother, sister, father, friend, stranger - that said your goals were silly, you shouldn't put yourself out there like that, you might get hurt. And you believed them.

Time to let go of the past! It has no bearing on your present or future.

The only good time to look back is to take a quick glance to see how far you've come! Even if it's one step, it's one step more than you did before.

::puts on cheer leader outfit and picks up pom poms::

You can do it! Pick a goal that makes you happy, excited and swell with pride and keep focused on it until you achieve it.

Every day, tell yourself you can do it.

Every day, do one thing that gets you closer to that goal. It doesn't matter what it is, every small step will add up to huge results!

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now go give yourself three minutes of happy.