Are you the only thing standing in your own way?

5:56 a.m. I didn’t want to get up. I had rolled over around 1:30 a.m. just a few hours before, dreading this moment. My 6 a.m. alarm, lingering. (Tell me I’m not the only one that instinctually wakes up minutes before their morning alarm, yes?)

I blinked. The morning blur disappeared as I started to come to. I knew what I wanted to do: I wanted to move my body before spending a couple hours straight sitting. On the day’s agenda: A flight to D.C. for a little work/play combination, my first in over a year. I wondered: “Can I do this?”

“I don’t want to move.”

Inhale. I rolled over. Slowly, I sat up and put both of my feet on the floor. I took a deep breath and tip-toed around my sprawled open, mostly-packed suitcase toward the kitchen closet where I happen to keep my sports bras.

After shimmying into some Spandex, I reached for a pair of sneakers, grabbed a sweatshirt, mask, and AirPods, and headed for the gym. After making a pitstop in the locker room, I headed toward my go-to treadmill, the one in the almost-always empty corner with its own TV (plus, remote privileges). I hopped on, and a wave of exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks.

“You’re here,” I told myself.
“You can do this.”

With that, I turned up the speed and got into a jog. I already knew what was on deck: A quick little 5K run with some speed pick-ups. A few minutes into the jog, I started to feel more capable. When the first speed set arrived — 5:00 at tempo pace — the “can I do this?” thought crept back in.

I persisted.

One down, three to go. I turned on a different playlist. I picked up my pace again. The sweat started dripping down my chest. By the end of the second rep, I had a completely different outlook: “You’re almost done, now.”

Before I knew it, the effort was over.

Were there points where I wanted to quit? Sure. To be real, I’ve been lacking all sorts of motivation lately, likely induced by the Daylight Savings time shift. Still, every single time I wondered “can I do this?” over the past week or so, the reward of sticking it out and giving back to me felt extra sweet. Every single time, I was reminded of the beauty of my own will.

Maybe it’s with a work out.
Maybe it’s cleaning the apartment.
Maybe it’s with a work to-do item.
Maybe it’s a tough conversation you’ve been putting off with a friend.

Whatever hurdle you have on deck in the coming weeks, I encourage you to remember this: You can. You’ve just gotta believe that, first.

PROMPT: What’s one thing that you can do to give back to you (and your body!) in the next 72 hours?