Goal: Give Myself a Break

I haven't looked up any statistics but I would venture to guess that most people would find themselves to be their own worst critics. I certainly am. There is no one in the world that could be harder on me than myself. I've been this way since I was a child. I am sure that's shocking news for everyone. :)

As I've gotten older, I have become slightly more patient (when I had zero patience for many years) and slightly more flexible in life but I would like to be able to give myself a break once in awhile.

I'd say I am a work in progress but I don't like the message indicated by that phrase. It sounds like there's something wrong with me and I need to be "fixed". It takes all types of personalities for the world to go round and I won't apologize or feel bad for working hard, being detailed, being organized, making every effort for things to run smoothly, and putting my heart and soul in to whatever I do in life. It's who I am and I'm proud of it but I also understand that there's room for growth.

With that said, I've decided that a new goal in life is to give myself a break when warranted.

Here's an example:

I was very sick last week. I was basically comatose on Tuesday and in a fog through Friday. I got up Saturday morning with the intention of running six miles because that's what was on my schedule. It didn't matter that I had been sick. It didn't matter that I didn't run Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. It didn't matter that I was wheezing and coughing up lungs after running for four minutes during a run/walk workout on the treadmill on Friday.

The six-miler didn't happen. I ran half a mile and it hurt to breathe. I finished mile one and took a short break in which another runner stopped to tell me what a great day it was for a run and that maybe I should try some strides to open up my lungs and that they always work for him....