“How you do one thing is how you do everything.”

Or, so they say. And, ‘they’ are often right.

Yesterday, on my lunch break and out of the blue, I decided to go for a spontaneous run with a co-worker. I am not a runner. As we started along our jaunt my friend says, “Wow, you like to start out fast, sister!” As soon as she said it, I simultaneously slowed my pace and had an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Not only did I decide out of nowhere to take a run in the middle of my workday, but I hit the ground running (no pun intended).

As we trekked along our path, I started to ponder where else in my life that I have made  hasty decisions—when I went full steam ahead, only to tire quickly and struggle to complete the path that I so passionately embarked upon.

Much to my dismay, yet enlightenment, my viscous patterns played like a movie across my consciousness. The jobs that start with great vigor, but only lead to a blatant lack of enthusiasm. The relationship that starts out intense and passionate, but quickly fizzles. The projects I once envisioned and obsessed about that only got tossed aside once they did not reach the level I wanted, in the time I had subconsciously allotted.

It was clear to me, at only a half a mile in, that it was no mistake I took this journey today. I was huffing and puffing, wanting to give up. Lucky for me, every time I wanted to give up, my enthusiastic friend would look over her shoulder and yell, “Woo-woo.”

“If only I had a cheerleader like this in my everyday life,” I thought.

See, if I were alone, I would have stopped running and started walking. I wouldn’t have given up completely, but I definitely would have slowed down at an alarming rate. It’s amazing how having someone there who is encouraging , and also pushes themselves makes me work harder.

Was it that I didn’t want to let her down? No.

Was it that I didn’t want to give up in front of someone who was so dedicated? No.

Did I hope to impress her? Definitely not.

What did it for me was having someone there who somehow knew just the perfect time to turn around and offer me the proverbial ‘you got this, girl’ fist pump.

So, how do I translate this into my everyday life patterns? Obviously, it isn’t realistic to have a cheer leading squad follow me around, or is it? This got me thinking about all the moments that I wanted to give up, throw my chips down and let them fall where they may. I realized that my internal cheer leading squad had indeed kept me from giving up over and over.

Wow, who knew a quick 1.5 mile run that took only 15 minutes could teach a girl so much?

Awareness is the first step. For me, this run taught me to steady my pace when my feet hit the pavement in any new endeavor, and to slow down when the seemingly perfect lover appears, as my heart jumps out of my chest. Most of all,  to to be mindful when I get the urge to get a head start to jumping off the cliff  into possibility. I learned that a slow and steady start is the best way to sustain the energy it takes to see a journey through.

What patterns do you have and how are they showing up in your life?

Tiffany Davis is a mother, a lover of love, a yogini, and a writer. She moved to sunny Southern California from the East Coast, and believes that she has found her own personal heaven on Earth. Her intention is to write about life and love, to learn, and to hopefully entertain you along the way.

Like elephant I’m not “Spiritual.” I just practice being a good person on Facebook.

Ed: T. Lemieux & B. Bemel