Once you make the decision that you will not fail, the heart and body will follow.
So a few friends of mine came up with the idea to run a marathon in 2026. Now, I have been running for about 4 months, and I wouldn’t have imagined doing this 1 year ago. I wanted to share some of my personal observations.
In my youth, I wasn’t always the fittest person. Some could say I was a little chubby, or more bluntly, quite fat. I was bad at sports and couldn’t run a mile if my life depended on it.
Looking back at those times, I am proud that I have become as fit as I am now. I am running (for fun even), lifting weights, and getting more athletic every year. This growth is something I could not have imagined back then.
In those times, I would have laughed at the idea of running a marathon, but now I feel confident enough to tackle this and take it seriously. This will not be easy, but I will face this challenge head-on.
More importantly, this idea was unprompted, and my friends decided to invite me despite me not being there when the idea was conceived. I have always been a bit of a loner, and people often forgot about my existence. Not helping in this matter is the fact that I do not often attend university lectures, as I am more productive working from home. Despite all of this, my friends thought of me and invited me, and for that, I am grateful.
My resolution for 2025 is to become more involved with the people around me, and it seems that life has flown in such a way to enable this. This simple invitation has given me confidence in my social abilities and in my friends. This has given me more motivation to return this favor and to improve my soul even further.
As I used to be a loner in the past, the fact that I have become social enough for people to invite me spontaneously is a great sign of growth, and I am excited for what the future holds.
For the people that feel that no one wants to be with them (like I did in my darker years), I want to tell you that it pays off to get out of your comfort zone. Be unapologetically you, and work on the way in which you express yourself to other people. That way, you too can slowly but surely build up your social skills.
And remember, always look back at your life with pride. As this life is as it is, will this life as it was.