It Really Isn't That Hard!

Tonight was an interesting struggling school homework kind of night. I got this email from my son's teacher that told me he is still having difficulty with his writing assignments. The one writing assignment that asks him to summarize up a story they have read in class. Not one where you get to create the story, but you have just read the most boring or uninteresting story of the week and you need to tell us about it on paper. How in the world can you write about it if you didn't even like it? So, this evening we have had to work on this assignment and there have been several breakdowns. Yes, we took time out for dinner and I had a meeting, but each time we have come back to the assignment there has been the constent "Its just too hard". Crying, frustration and just plain lack of drive to actually want to write about this story has been hard to watch. I tried really hard to listen, tried not to laugh (inside my head) because I could not understand what the struggle was about and why in the world he was crying, then I got frustrated. How in the world could he keep saying to me "its just too hard" I know, I know - not everything is always so easy for some and many a person will struggle with what we might think is the simplest of tasks. How can I help him on this journey?

As the evening ended, the assignment did get done for what it is worth (he still has to do a full blown write up tomorrow in class), but the quiet of the house started to settle and I realized that I too have had some "Its Just Too Hard" kind of moments. Thinking about those times when my son has said to me "Mom, we need to work out so you can lose weight" and realizing that when he gets on my eliptical I shouldn't say things like "tomorrow" or "I don't feel like it" or I even think I might have said "its just too hard" once or twice. I then got to thinking more about how I have been doing on this new journey of mine and is it really that hard? I can have my ups and downs, my highs and lows and I am sure there will be some days where I am going to be crying in the corner saying to myself "this is just too hard". Getting up in the morning out of my cozy warm bed to actually put in time to exercise has been hard. But really, is it or am I just saying that?! If it is hard for others, how are they doing it every morning no matter what? If it is easy for others, then why can't I do it?! What is holding me back?

I have decided - it really isn't that hard!!! It can't be that hard! My goal - get myself up each morning (yes, each morning) and do a little bit of exercise each day (warmth of the bed or not). 10 minutes here will grow to 20 minutes will grow to 30 and before I know it I will be saying "It Really Isn't That Hard!!! Going to change it up from time to time. A walk here, a quick sprint around the block there, some cardio on that eliptical that is collecting dust in my bedroom corner, free weights, using my new borrowed punching bag, pulling out the many exercise DVD's I have, and on and on and on...I have tons of options - it really isn't that hard!!!!

I know that we can do this together - him in his writing, me in my exercising - we are going to support each other and we will both finally be able to say

It Really Isn't That Hard!!! Success is right around the corner!!

Staying MOtivated