Off-Topic Thursday: When Will Your One Day Happen?

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Randy Crane

Today’s guest post is from Jen McDonough. Jen enjoys sharing stories of hope and inspiration through her books, speaking engagements, and her blog. Jen lives in Lindstrom, MN with her four awesome kids, two spirited dogs, one handsome husband, and her ugly mortgage. Please visit Jen’s website at www.livebeyondawesome.com for a FREE ebook of Living Beyond Awesome which is available of a limited time and/or follow Jen on Twitter: @TheJenMcDonough

Have you ever felt like you were standing at the bottom of a mountain wondering how you were going to accomplish getting to the top?

WellI I certainly have MANY times in my life. One such time was when I was overweight, experiencing deteriorating health, and not able to run two blocks. The thought of ever getting in shape again seemed impossible, especially as I was a mom to three young kids, a wife who was holding down full time career and commuting two hours each day. Getting in shape was something I “wished for”, but didn’t find time in my busy life until my “one day” happened.

My “one day” happened on summer day when my daughter proudly showed me a picture of her “mama.” I was horrified at what “mama” looked like. She was overweight, tired, and worn out looking. As a mom, I didn’t want my kids to see this tired lady as their mom – I wanted them see me as a vibrant, joyful, and energetic mom.

Using that picture as motivation, I made the commitment to join a weight loss plan, start running, and start tracking the foods I fueled my body with. Did this help? You bet it did. It wasn’t long after my weight loss journey began that I soon started to run 3 blocks, then 4 blocks and so on until I got up to a mile. From there, I started making plans to run 2 miles, then 3 miles. Within four months, I not only had lost 60 pounds, but “one day” was able to run my first ever 6 mile run. What a victorious accomplishment this was!

Each day, I pushed myself further and further outside of my comfort zone. What were my keys to doing this each day?

Simple…my keys were:

Faith
Perseverance and;
Taking action to a plan

These three keys along with remembering my incremental steps would take me from my starting line to my finish line, has led me to do some pretty amazing things. Just 10 months after not being able to run 2 blocks, I would go on to run my first marathon. From there, I would go on to do my first triathlon. As I tell the story in my book, Living Beyond Awesome [affiliate link], after not being a swimmer, a pro cyclist or a runner, “one day” I would go on to complete one of the most world’s most ultra endurance events around…Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run in under 17 hours).

The keys that I learned in my health journey would go on to help me in other areas in my life, including becoming incredibly successful in paying off a mountain of debt which has led to our finance journey being shared world-wide (including in a recent german documentary where we had a german film crew film with us for three days – very cool).

If you are standing at the bottom of a mountain wondering how you are going to get to the top, listen up. With faith, perseverance and taking action to a plan, your life can go from ordinary to extraordinary. If you have areas in your life you are looking to succeed in, why not jump on board and start living today how you want your future to be tomorrow.

Question: Has your “one day” arrived yet? If so, what action steps can you take today to live the life you want tomorrow? Talk about it in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.

Randy Crane is passionate about helping Christians, especially those with a Disney affinity, to discover and connect to their GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE AND VALUE, to build their lives to achieve TRUE SUCCESS AND MEANING, and to POSITIVELY IMPACT their world. For more than two decades, Randy has been leading individuals and teams into a greater joy and child-like appreciation of the world around them, equipping them to reach beyond what they have previously experienced and build a God-given identity and purpose. Ready to experience that for yourself? Tell us where to send SIX free videos all created to help answer the 3 questions you need to experience PEACE, FREEDOM, and PURPOSE!