I was on the third or forth hour of minimalizing my office space when I came across an old piece of paper that was stuffed between paperwork that needs to be scanned and a pile of books that need to be read. Moments earlier I was organizing my schedule to make sure I’m on track by the time this year comes to an end. I was feeling frustrated because I had to postpone several things until the following year but as I read the words I had written on that torn piece of paper I felt a sense of calm and in a weird way, a sense of accomplishment. Turns out I did much better than I had been giving myself credit for. There were several personal and business related things on that sheet of paper (some I accomplished but most of them never made it far) but what caught my eye were three things written off to the side…
2016
-Olympic triathlon May 15th. (.9 mile swim, 24.9 bike ride, 6.2 run)
-Honolulu Marathon December 11th
-Get certified to teach group fitness (or some kind of fitness training)
I stood in the center of my office… messy hair, still in my workout clothes, surrounded by piles of stuff I need to get rid of and cold coffee on my desk but I noticed myself smiling as I held this sheet of paper in my hands.
No, I didn’t complete the Olympic triathlon in May; I didn’t even register for it. But I did complete the other two… I’m registered and in the thick of training for the Honolulu Marathon and I got certified to teach Pop Pilates a few months ago. I don’t surprise myself often mostly because I’m normally very hard on myself (working on getting better) but this was one of the rare times when I thought, whoa. Get it girl!
I don’t remember thinking about this small list not even once during the year. I only remember signing up for the marathon, deciding to document it and becoming a Pop Pilates instructor because my heart was drawn to those things. I know I would have done those things whether or not they were written down on a “goals” list. I’m quite proud of that.
Finding this piece of paper encouraged me to do more of what my heart is drawn to. I’ll always have lists and goals to keep myself on check but it’s important to make space for the things that make me happy…
My heart is currently being drawn to a triathlon but for the sake of my sanity I’m keeping that one at bay… for now.
