I’ve been quiet lately because I have been focusing all of my extra time on studying to pass my Personal Trainer Exam. I am completely ecstatic to say that I have passed it, and am satisfied with the sacrifices I made this summer to complete the program over spending more time socializing, having more leisure time, or whatever else I may have wanted to do.
However, I had to learn a few tough lessons in the process. I have always been one of those people that are always looking to the future – the next achievement, the next holiday, the next .. day. Whatever it be, it is not what I am doing at the moment. There are three huge problems with this – 1. Never having the ability to enjoy the present moment, 2. Missing out on the rewards that the process brings, and, 3. STRESS.
This all came to a culminating point the day before I took my exam. I was very stressed, to the point of tears, and was very concerned that I might not pass even though I had studied for quite some time, and hard. (I have the desire to know EVERY LITTLE DETAIL through and through before taking a test – I am thorough, which is great, but I can take it to the extreme. I usually want to have full assurance that I will accomplish what I set out to.) I had to come to the realization that I did everything that I could, and it was time to just put it all out there on the line. God really had to work on me with this realization. Life really does come to a point where we have to realize .. that we can only do but so much (and do everything we can, we should!) but we do have limitations, and that is where I had to learn to trust what I had done up to that point (the process) and put the results in God’s hands. Had I been lazy or uninterested, I could have justified my concern for the test. But I had done all I could.
The second learning point that I had here was my tendency to work only for a reward or accomplishment. To check the scoreboard. I know – there is a lot of controversy whether we should keep score in sports games and have competition, especially with kids today. I am an advocate for keeping score – I believe that playing to win is important! But there is a lot to be gained from the process of preparing to win, and enjoying the process is important, also! We will actually gain more out of something we enjoy than something we are forcing ourselves through .. I say that only because of the focus. If I am forcing myself through any task, I am just trying to get through it as quickly as possible, instead of gleaning all that I can from it and soaking it in. I would already be focused on the next thing. Of course – it is very important to have a scope of where you are going, but remember to live in the moment, too! The process to a reward is precious!
Yes, I passed my CPT exam. But I gained much more than a certification. I gained a great base of knowledge that I can now help other people with. THAT was the goal. I learned a lot about myself, work ethic, desire, and prioritizing.
I am thankful to God for and enjoying today, and looking forward to the future with wide eyes!
PS – check out this video by Eric Thomas! #etthehiphoppreacher (Click on the trophy)
aubreyeicher 