Can I just have this moment?

Tweet … What is your next step after winning a Gold medal??? Simone Biles replies.. stop asking what’s next! Can you let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for…

A few weeks ago after a particularly invigorating workout I snapped a picture… I was feeling strong and my focus was my arm definition. 

After a moment of appreciating the work it took to develop the muscle definition, my eyes headed straight for my stomach and fixated on this “roll”.

And I thought, now I need to work on this. And then I stopped myself and I asked, why can’t I just be content in this moment with what I’ve accomplished just a little while longer. Why the need look for the next thing so quickly? Society? Unreal expectations? Misplaced self worth?

My whole life, I’ve had thick muscular legs… even when I weighed less than 100 pounds and was a “skinny”  little thing. My legs were crazy strong. So were my stomach muscles. My arms were always my weakest muscles.

10 plus years of #ckokickboxing and my arm muscles are very defined and  much, much stronger…However I’m going to tell you a little secret…my arms are still my weakest muscles. When I do arm work, I often times need to rest. I start to shake and struggle even though I am not lifting particularly heavy weights…

My legs are in it for the long haul and provide great support, but my abs with that layer of fluff are super strong.  Give me ab work every day all day. I can do the back to back exercises with relative ease. The shakes come but typically seconds before it’s over and I push right through.

Things are not always what they seem. Be careful not to be fooled by the visuals. Pay attention to what’s underneath.

And live in each moment of goodness, cherish your wins. Stay there as long as you like. Don’t let society or self-doubt or unreal expectations push you on to the next thing before you’ve really taken the time to appreciate everything you’ve accomplished.