Be Proud of Being a Work in Progress

So often, we are working hard to seek a final destination or end result. If you are constantly working towards something, you may find yourself underappreciating the journey and the actual moments making up your life – the progress part.

People often apologize for being a work in progress, when really they should be celebrating it.

The fact that you CAN and DO work on yourself is a beautiful thing. To NOT be a work in progress is something to apologize over.

Today, we are sharing a simple yet powerful exercise to help you enjoy the journey and all that you have to reflect and be filled with joy over.

Sitting still and taking a break to be in the moment can be uncomfortable at times. As you practice this, it gets easier. If you find this exercise challenging, you don’t need to do it all at once.

There's no one grading you, and there are NO wrong answers.

We need these pauses in life to appreciate what is going on around us, to see just how far we have come, and to have a better appreciation for the greatness we do have in our lives.

Many reflections focus on what could have been better:

• “I wish I had taken more trips.”

• “I didn’t have enough time to finish that project.”

• “I should have done more.”

This is NOT the mindset we want you to have. There is so much good to be found, and we have a powerful exercise to help you focus on that:

Celebrating Your Progress

Here’s how it works:

• Get an actual pen and paper. Writing it out activates a deeper part of your brain than simply typing. We want you to get the most out of this exercise.

• Take some time to sit down and give some true effort, looking back at recent months. This can be one of the most powerful exercises you do, but like anything, you only get out the effort you put in.

• Look back at pictures, read old emails, notes you wrote, social media posts, journals, and calendars.

• For each month, reflect and write down 5 things that bring a smile and pride to your heart as you take a flashback. These are the moments that most define you, and we want you to focus on them to attract more of that positive energy into your life.

It could be a trip, reaching an accomplishment, making a new friend, starting a new project, changing jobs, or attending a conference. You name it.

Some months may be hard to fill in and require deep reflection – others you may find you hit 5 and want to keep on going.

Once you start this exercise, you’ll find it gets easier and easier to see the positive in each month, and you’ll soon train your brain to look for these opportunities.

Throughout this process, some of the tougher times may come up. We don’t want you to ignore them or bottle away the hurt, frustration, or pain, but rather to recognize that those moments, too, were part of your story.

However, the story you want to write and document forever are the positive markers that got you to where you are today.

Once your reflection list is done, read it over.

Your mouth may hurt from smiling so much.

You'll see that even through the toughest of days, weeks, and months, you are still standing here, and you are a “work in progress.” That, my friend, is a BEAUTIFUL thing.

Maybe even print and hang your list up somewhere in your house to admire each day.

Once you have done this exercise on your own, consider sharing it with your family, work team, significant other, or a friend.

You can do this exercise any time you need a little boost.

The Power of Gratitude and Reflection

We believe this idea of gratitude is an important part of overall wellness and have it as one of our key health foundations at VFit! You can’t out-exercise or out-eat an ungrateful mind. Just as important as sleep and water, gratitude is a critical part of living a well-balanced life.

Your body hears everything your mind says. If you are too critical about yourself, it can dampen your progress and even deteriorate your health, making you sick.

We hope that after going through this exercise, you celebrate where you are today, with all of your scars and flaws. That is who you are, and that is what makes you unique.

There is no set ideal or perfect point you’ll hit in life. 99.9% of life is in the journey you live on a daily basis. Life is about all the moments that make up the journey.

Using this mindset of being proud to be a work in progress is a powerful way to find more acceptance. This will also lead to you taking action and using discipline to get the most out of each day and, in turn, this very special LIFE you have been gifted.

Live a life worth telling a story about. We can’t wait to see you continue your journey of progress and growth!