FINISH STRONG!
I am so proud of my daughter. I know…we all are. But she’s done something that I think is extraordinary!
She had the worst first semester of college ever. Like, the worst.
She went away to college this fall as a 17 year old freshman. She is by nature, an introvert, studying Computer Science, a field that attracts other introverts. To add to that, her roommate was unsatisfied that the school gave her my daughter as a roommate. She not only told her that, but decided the best way to handle it was to not speak to my daughter. She was invisible to her. They had very little conversation, they had earbuds in when they were in the room together, and one day my daughter came back to her room to find out that the other girl was moving in with a friend….that day. In honesty, it was probably better that way. At least this way, she’d be alone physically too. Not having to feel the tension or stress of rejection, day after day. She had an unapproachable Math teacher that didn’t successfully teach. She knew by November 6 that she would probably fail the class. On top of all of this, she got sick THREE times throughout the semester. Sick sick. Like can’t keep anything in your tummy sick. She lost 10 pounds in one semester of lonely, sick, stressful awfulness.
“Ok Jill, so….why are you so proud? You’re bringin me down here.”
She could have quit. She could have come home, but she didn’t. She crossed the finish line. After that semester, she decided that she wasn’t in the right place. She’s come home to go to the community college, and regain some focus. But she finished her semester there! She endured through all of that. Her focus was consistently about her classes and pushing through to the other side. She’s never said a bad thing about her roommate. Just the fact that they didn’t talk and she moved out. She never once focused on the feeling that she was kind of mean, or that she felt rejected by her. (Mom did. Mom was MAD) She made a couple of friends and felt good about the time they spent together. But most of all…she finished math. She was not successful in the class, but never stopped going and even took her final exam knowing FULL WELL, she had no possibility of passing, but she could still learn. That….is why I’m so proud. Life is HARD. Situations can be a full out battle sometimes, but if you don’t show up and put effort in, even when you are in the trenches, you’ll get nothing in return.
Have you ever heard a new marathon runner say “I’m just glad that I finished.”?
I’ve got news, there is no “Just” about finishing a marathon. It takes endurance, persistence and dedication to not only train for it, but to complete it. It’s really hard! Life gets in the way. Kids get sick during training, work gets stressful, joints get worn down from so much training. During the race things happen too! You get a bad sleep the night before, you turn your ankle in mile 2, you have to go to the bathroom in mile 17! Do you stop? No. It’s not an option if you want to see the finish line.
2017 is coming to an end, you can see the finish line. What do you want to be able to feel as you cross into 2018? Do you want to feel like you tried? Like you’ve made positive changes? You can feel good about yourself at midnight on NYE. It just so happens that Christmas parties and New Year parties are blocking the finish line. How will you cross? Strong? I hope so!!
3 ways to finish strong
1. Go to the party full and hydrated.
Drink a bottle of water and eat lean protein right before the party. A can of tuna, some chicken breast, a protein shake…something to fill your belly. You will NOT want the treats and drinks half as much if you’ve already taken in 25-30 g of protein.
2. Workout on Christmas Eve and Day.
Get a really good sweat in on both days. It doesn’t have to be long! A 20 minute bootcamp or hiit workout would work very well for the rest of the day.
3. Get all of your wrapping in early so you don’t lose sleep Christmas Eve.
Losing sleep is no way to enjoy the holiday! Being unrested not only increases your stress hormones (which increase fat storage) but also decreases your time in deep sleep. Deep Sleep is when your body does its repair and releases growth hormone. Growth hormones build muscle…muscle burns fat.
So as you scurry about these last 10 days of 2017, remember all that you’ve worked for this year and focus on finishing strong, and crossing that finish line proud of what you’ve done for yourself.
Merry Christmas!
