Work and Life Balance: No Pain, No Gain

Hello to you... I hope you are well.

July was a most interesting month for me as I went through an intensive training seminar that had me sitting at the computer for days and days on end studying and implementing my projects.

There were moments of ease and fascination, but there were also far too many moments when I wondered "What the heck am I doing this for!?!" I had to look through the shadows of my frustration to find the light in what I was setting out to learn.

Ultimately, I learned that making even baby steps of progress took me in the direction of accomplishment... that is, when patience was a conscious part of my toolkit.

When I saw this quote yesterday I laughed, for it symbolizes exactly my learning... have a read;

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."
Lance Armstrong (1971 - )U.S. cyclist, 7-time winner of the Tour de France cancer survivor

I knew that I could not succumb to my wimpy moments of impatience or I'd only re-enforce old negative tendancies for failure plus I'd never forgive myself. I am SO proud of myself for holding the "long vision" of patient persistance. My skill set has grown by leaps and bounds and so has my respect for my abilities.

Are you encountering something similar to what I just experienced? If so, echo Lance Armstrong's words in your mind and hear me cheering you on to "keep pushing through the baby steps because they will ultimately take you a long way forward on your life road"... I know!