I was full of good intentions last night when I set my alarm for half six. What I hadn’t banked on was being woken up at 5am by my husband putting the light on to read!

When my alarm went off, I hit snooze once but the second time I got up.

“Are you really going to get up now?” he asked.

“You’re the one who’s been asking when I’m going to start running again.” said I.

“You don’t have to do it now though.”

“OK”, I said. And got back into bed.

After lying there for little more than a couple of minutes my brain kicked in. If I don’t get up and do it now, I know I won’t do it later.

And so I got up.

Feeling very proud of myself, I pulled on my bottoms, grabbed some water and started the video. It was a strength video from my health coach Nichole and it’s a bit of a killer but ultimately worth it.

Except this morning it was extra tough.

Do you have those times when everything feels difficult?

I don’t necessarily mean just fitness stuff. There are times when, despite doing the right thing, making that small but important decision to show up, it then feels like really hard work.

And part of you might be thinking that it’s just not fair. You showed up. You did your part. You didn’t stay in bed. Why does it then have to hurt so much?

During the two minutes I was lying in bed debating whether to get up or not, I sneezed something like 5 times. I tried using that as an excuse to not get up but just got up anyway.

So as I’m puffing my way through Nichole’s workout, even just the warmup is hurting. I’ve done this one before, I think to myself. It isn’t usually this hard going.

Maybe I am actually coming down with something?

Maybe I should have just stayed in bed?

Maybe I should stop right now before I do myself a mischief?

This game we call life is won or lost inside our heads. It really is.

And this time, I was determined not to lose. But I was also hurting and not having that much fun.

So I came up with a compromise.

I knew the last circuit involved some crunches, so I pulled out my mat and did those. I didn’t complete the whole thing but I did something and I didn’t kill myself in the process!

So what does all this have to do with faith or business?

That’s a fair question. 😉

Every moment of every day is made up of choices.

The choice to get up. The choice to smile. The choice to take a deep breath and be extra patient. The choice to say no. Even the choice not to choose!

And one choice impacts the next one, but the next one doesn’t have to be ruled and dictated to by the previous.

Making one choice does not legally bind you, on pain of death, not to tweak that choice and change course.

You don’t choose once and forever live with the consequences.

You’re like an elegant cruise liner, tweaking and shifting, choice by choice, with an eye on the end goal, sure, but going with whatever storms may come up at you, and tweaking and shifting accordingly.

Just because you shift slightly does not mean that you’re off course.

And it all starts with one choice.

And the one after that. And the one after that. And the one after that.

Are you ready? Let’s go!