Monday, November 16, 2009

It's gotta be one step at a time

Seeing as I'm a bit of a planner, I like to get ahead of myself. A lot. Sometimes I look ahead a bit too far, planning into the distant future as to what things will be like. But we all know that life throws curve balls our way, and it's possible to predict what will happen.

This is true when it comes to achieving goals, too. I like to think about how much weight I'll have lost in three weeks, six weeks, two months, etc. While it's motivating, it's not entirely helpful. Because inside, I think it has been overwhelming me. When I think about how much weight I need to lose overall, it starts to feel a bit impossible.

When I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru a few years ago, I remember it being one of the hardest physical challenges that I had ever undertaken. Four days of hiking mountains in really high altitude. I was probably about 40-50lbs overweight at that time, too. But it was something that I always dreamed of doing, and I didn't want to let my weight stop me.

We hiked and hiked and hiked - for about 12-14 hours each day. Every step, every climb, every slip of the foot was both amazing and difficult. I was at the back of the group, sometimes about 1-2 hours behind everyone. Taking my time, determined to get to the end. All I could think about was reaching Machu Picchu (the beautiful lost city at the end of the trail). I saw some of the most beautiful things in my entire life. But there were moments when I threw my sticks to the ground, and perched on the rocks, wanting to cry. I didn't have physical energy left at the end of a long day, and I didn't think I'd ever make it to the end.

There was a voice that kept me going for the entire four days. "One step at a time, don't focus on the end". "Concentrate on that next climb - don't worry about that next mountain ahead". "We'll cross the next bridge when we get there". "Keep your head down - don't look ahead". It was my husband. He kept me going when I had nothing left. There was one particular moment when I threw myself onto the ground, and surrendered myself to the mountains. It was raining, it was cold, it was dark. The rest of the group had already made it to the campsite. I couldn't take another step, I was exhausted. It was 7pm at night, and we'd been hiking since 6am that morning. I remember my husband telling me that we were going to count steps until we got to the end, and not focus on how many steps there were altogether. In the dark, we climbed the rocks one by one. I didn't think about the warm tea waiting for me. I didn't think about collapsing into a heap in my tent. I just concentrated on each step. One at a time. Soon enough, I saw the campfire at the top of the mountain.

I think about that experience a lot. It's nice to think about myself in a size 8 or 10. It's amazing to think about how I'll look, how many kilometres I'll be running, and how many clothes I'll have in my closet. But when I see myself now, it's just a reminder of how far I have to go. While I'll use the future as motivation, I need to remind myself that taking one step at a time is the key to succeeding.

So today: focus on eating well, and getting to my spinning class tonight. All of these days will add up very soon, and the light at the end of the tunnel will start to shine. Just like the sunrise over Machu Picchu the morning I finished the biggest climb of my life.

8 comments:

janet said...

Wow, what an amazing experience you've had! Time and time again your determination shows through. You will do this too, Sonya!

nic said...

What a FABULOUS story! If I had had an experience like that, I would draw from it daily.

You have literally climbed the mountain before, now you just do it again, and in a different way, and not really a mountain.

:o)

Teresa said...

Thats an amazing story. Its the little steps that count. I'm sure you will succeed with such determination Sonya. All the best.

Rebecca said...

yes, thank you sonya for sharing that story!!

oh my gosh... i cant imagine having wanted to ever climb machi picchu but after hearing your story. i do!!

i think most of us envision how much we'll weigh less after 6 weeks, 12 weeks but we really do have to step back and focus on today, so often the long term goal outdoes our short term goal.

it sounds like your on the right path though. so glad you love spinning!!!

Christy said...

You are incredible Sonya. And so brilliant. I'm in the same boat (surprised?) in that I look at how far I have to go and it's so easy to get discouraged by that. You have the right idea, to take it one step at a time. Just think of how wonderful it feels when we get to the end of one successful day, remember the sun sets every night!

And I have to say wow, what an amazing experience, one that will be sketched in your mind forever.

Kim said...

Sharing this story is going to get me through today. Thank you Sonya...
One step at a time...

Miss Gogo said...

I started reading your blog after seeing it on Christy's page and wow! This post was a major inspiration for me. Thank you so much for sharing this experience. It put so much into perspective for me.

Sheridan said...

wow girl, what a story, my scrolling key is near dead cos I couldn,t wait to read more and nice hubby sounds like you found one of the good guys! One step hun, but we all like to dream ahead too, nothing wrong with that either! Sometimes I sit there with a calculator and calendar and count how much more I could lose by then and then...but yes one step at a time, one lb at a time....sometimes 1/10 of a lb at a time!!!