With a Twinkle in His Eye

Today I watched a young boy look at his mom from across the gym and excitedly mouth his new weight to her.  With a twinkle in his eye that would have put Santa to shame, he quietly mouthed and counted out his new weight with his fingers.  It was fun to watch.  Michael had temporarily stopped to speak with a client and take her measurements, while the boy was working out with some arm weights.  He finished his reps, jumped on the scale, and then immediately started trying to get his mom's attention.  Whereas he could have stopped and waited around for Michael to come back to him, he did not. He could have grabbed some water, stopped to stretch, or just rested for a moment; he did not.  He immediately clicked the weights up a notch and went to work.  I watched him load up his weights for squats, twinkle and all. 

 I was so busy thinking about his accomplishment, that I had one of my own; 40 painless sit-ups in a row.  Forty?  I realize that might not be many to some, but considering that ten were a struggle one month ago, forty is QUITE the accomplishment for me.  I had been instructed to do sit-ups (20) is what my goal had been, and before I knew it, I was counting out 40.  Good form too, if I must say so myself.  :)

Have you lost the twinkle in your eye?  Sometimes, we lose our twinkle.  We get discouraged with our appearance and we get mad at ourselves.  I think the best lesson learned from our twinkle-eyed boy today is that progress is a reflection of what you do when no one else is watching.  No one may be able to see your midnight snack, or that you did 10 reps when you should have done 20, but the tape measure never lies.  The scale never lies.  And to be quite frank with you, the twinkle in your eye or lack thereof is also an indication of your dedication.  Although I have not personally met my goals yet; I am inching closer to them each day.  I am getting my twinkle back.  No pain; no gain, right?

'Til Next Time,

Jessica Kirkland