I’m impatient. It’s one of my faults and I fully admit it. If I do something, I want to see the results of it yesterday. I simply don’t like having to wait and wait for results.

Many people can relate.

Last week I seriously questioned the whole going to the gym thing. I just didn’t feel like it. I think that because I’ve been working out for three weeks that I should already look like I’ve dropped the 30 pounds that I want to drop. I feel like I should have more definition than I do and that the shirts that I grew out of two years ago should already fit me.

And none of that has happened.

I went to the gym on Thursday and just didn’t have “it.” I don’t know what “it” is but whatever “it” is, I didn’t have “it.” I went to do my normal cardio on the bike and got maybe ten minutes in and just quit. I couldn’t do it. I moved on to the weights and did my normal deal and decided to go home frustrated.

I wanted to see big time results and I wasn’t seeing them.

Saturday was a ridiculously nice day here in Knoxville. It got up to about 66 which is crazy in January. I texted a friend of mine on Friday afternoon so we could take advantage of the weather and play a round or two of disc golf. We got together at a local course and started playing.

The 8th hole of this course we were at is up a decently steep hill. I remember playing the course back in September and being out of breath with my heart pounding after getting to the top of the hill. My legs were burning and I had to make some sort of joke or something so that I could stop and just catch my breath.

I threw my drive and it was a pretty good one. I walked to get it and threw my second shot (right next to the pin might I add) and walked to the top of the hill to putt. It wasn’t until I made my putt that I realized something.

I’m not breathing heavy.

I can actually breathe.

And my legs aren’t burning at all.

I wasn’t the semi-skinny Jonathan that I was hoping to get to yet, but I was the Jonathan that could breathe at the top of the hill. I was the Jonathan who felt good and not tired after walking a round of disc golf. I was the Jonathan that had made progress.

It’s going to take a long, long time for me to get where I want to be physically. I could push myself harder than I am now and get there quicker but the process is just as important as the goal. Eating better and being more active in general is much more important than seeing 299 on the scale by the end of December.

But like anything good, getting there takes time.

You may be where I am. You may be trying to lose weight and it’s taking longer than you’d like. Maybe your place is even more important than mine. You may be trying to get rid of debt or trying to get your financials in order and it’s taking forever. Maybe you’re trying to fix your marriage and it’s not where you want it to be yet. You might even be trying to work on getting rid of those struggles that have always been there and it seems like you’re going nowhere. Whatever it is you’re dealing with, it’s not going as fast as you’d like.

Learning to control your spending and learning to save is more beneficial in the long run than getting rid of the debt tomorrow.

The wall that you and your spouse break down this week can lead to another wall being broken down next week.

One win over that struggle tomorrow could help you win over that struggle on Thursday.

Everything builds on top of everything else. We just have to make sure that we’re using the right building blocks to build with.

My building block is the gym, and that’s why I was there at 7:15 this morning.

What is yours?