It’s only temporary.
I often say this to myself when I’m in the middle of a difficult situation, either physically or emotionally. During a race when I’m starting to tire and hurt I’ll tell myself that the fatigue is only temporary and it will be gone a few minutes after I finish. It works for me as a motivator and makes it easier for me to stick with it and find that little extra push as I get close to the finish line.
The same kind of thing can happen in a workout, whether swimming, on the bike or running. I estimate how long till the end of the set, tell myself it’s only temporary, and that by the time I hit the showers I’ll be back to 100%.
At work when the timelines are short and the pressure is on I tell myself that this too is only temporary. It doesn’t matter if it’s something that needs to be done in an hour or for the next day. Knowing that soon things will return to normal helps me focus on the job that needs to get done and to keep the main priorities in sight.
Even good times are temporary. Being aware that they too will end at some point helps me make sure that I’m taking it all in and acknowledge that I’m fortunate to be able to have the experience.
I think this is also a description of life – that everybody and everything is just temporary and that the impact of any one of us or the objects that we create is not very significant in the grand scheme of things. It’s so easy to think that we’re just so darn important, and to get ourselves wound up about stuff that doesn’t really matter. After we die we’re really only going to exist in the memories of a few people for a relatively short period of time. Reminding myself of this from time to time helps me keep things in perspective.
On Friday I met Blake Wood to talk about getting started on the strength-training program at Pure Fitness. When he warned me that I was going to be stiff from some of the exercises, I said, “It’s only temporary.” I added that I was looking forward to it, which I am. I now have to set up a weekly schedule that includes my swimming, running, biking and the twice-weekly strength program, not to mention work and the other parts of my life. How on earth am I going to fit it all that in, and when? But then again, it’s only for a year – less than that actually – and then it will be over, and I’ll be asking, “Now what?” I’m looking forward to all of it!
Fascinating that a 65 year old man can be looking forward to working hard, sweating lots, and aching all over. Hey, but why not, what an opportunity, what else would I be doing anyway, it’s only temporary, and besides, that’s PureJohn.
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