A Behind the Scenes Tour

Social media is a place where we can share what we want others to know about us, share the special and happy moments of our lives because who doesn’t want to share their happiness with others right?   

I have seen several posts about people criticizing others for making their lives appear perfect on Facebook however; the truth of the matter is that I don’t think we intentionally post the positive aspects of our lives in order to deceive others into thinking that we have the “perfect life”.  I can tell you from my perspective, I share the triumphs and positives in order to encourage others to do things they never thought they could do. 

I want to give you a behind the scenes tour of a few pictures I have posted, which can appear to be “picture perfect” moments but are really not so here we go:

This picture above is of me smiling at the gym but here is what happens prior to it:  Every morning is a struggle to wake up, I snooze my alarm and have a full on battle in my head as to whether I should get up and go to the gym or not.  This battle lasts about 30 minutes EVERY SINGLE MORNING, I tell myself how good the bed feels but how I will regret not going later on and I remind myself that without exercise the alternative is diabetes medication.  When I finally get up I drag myself to the bathroom and sleep drive to the gym and once I arrive it’s a wrap, the smile comes out and the moment I begin to sweat I feel glad I showed up and wish I would have come earlier. 

Now the picture of this race, I felt mentally drained and as I was about ¼ mile away from the finish line my sneaker came untied, you can see it there in the picture.  I ran the last ¼ mile looking at my sneakers and praying that I didn’t trip on my laces and fall on my face because I was not going to stop, I was almost there.  The satisfaction of crossing that finish line erased the thought of my shoe laces and immediately filled me with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Hill Repeats are scheduled on Tuesdays at 6:30 so before getting there here is what happens:  I leave work at 5pm, pick up my son, cook dinner and in between I help him with homework, throw in a load of laundry, listen to my daughter tell me her “war” stories from school, change into my workout clothes and run out the door at 6:15 to make it on time. 

The moral of the story is that a picture or a post can only tell so much about your life, just because I smile does not mean I don’t struggle, I struggle just like anyone else but I push through the difficult times because I know the end result is worth it.  Don’t put yourself down because you struggle or had a cheat meal, don’t let those moments define the rest of your journey, put your boxing gloves on every day and fight your way through the challenges, you are victorious when you don’t give up! Now get moving! Go!