Sometimes you encounter roadblocks along the way to success.
It is with great disappointment that I say the Tour de Jasper has been cancelled for this year. I received a refund in the mail, attached with it, a letter of explanation from the organizer of the event. While I respect the decision that has been made, it still doesn't hamper my disappointment.
It was a real revelation for me when I realized my real goal was getting healthy and being able to achieve a fitness goal, rather than using the number on the scale as my main goal. The Tour de Jasper gave me a solid time frame, and way to measure my success, I was fully prepared to meet this challenge and blow it out of the water.
I experienced a lot of emotions over receiving this news. At first I was shocked, then I was angry, next came sadness all left behind by a resounding feeling of needing to finish, regardless of what roadblocks get put in my way.
I spent a couple of days feeling sorry for myself. I put on a face for friends and family, my usual "I can handle this, as I can handle anything life throws at me" face, but in reality I felt the blow, and I felt it hard. I felt lost, and unsure of what my new goal should be.
I took a day off from the gym, I ate things I shouldn't, and in quantities that were unnecessary. I was feeding my feelings with food (a dear old habit that I will likely forever fight), and making up an excuse to myself as to why it was okay to skip the gym even though I had recently had a scheduled rest day.
This is my reality, and I know I'm far from the only one that faces these challenges.
I may not know exactly what my new goal will be, but what I do know is that this morning I woke up and made a choice to be healthy. The last few days were merely a setback, I will not let this define my journey. I will continue day by day to make healthy decisions, to not let roadblocks stop me.
I have been a big fan of Chris Powell and his wife Heidi (Chris Powell is a famous trainer from TV's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, his wife Heidi is also renowned for her fitness expertise), and recently on Facebook Heidi posted a link to her blog on a story of one of her friends struggling to lose weight, titled Failure: A Pathway to Success. I share with you this blurb from the story that for me, is a completely new revelation:
"A life changing moment happened for me while attending a Becoming Your Best business seminar where the presenter posed the question, 'What is the opposite of success?' Most, including me, answered with a resounding, 'failure.' We were quickly corrected. The answer has changed my way of thinking. In our society, we automatically link success and failure as black and white, when in reality, the opposite of success is quitting."
