I was having kind of a rough morning, and you know what? It happens. I’m a grown man and while sometimes it’s difficult to not allow my anxiety to get the better of me, I consciously choose a different path this morning. It wasn’t easy.

The absolute last thing I wanted to do this morning was go workout. I wasn’t really in the headspace for that, and a few months ago, I would have allowed those feelings to win. I would have given up before I even got started but not anymore.

Thankfully, I’m not the same me that I was a few months ago because I didn’t let my mood win. The best thing I could do for myself was go work my ass off at the gym. That’s exactly what I did. I wrote this while doing thirty five minutes of hills on the treadmill. That’s harder to do than it sounds.

Prior to that, I did thirty minutes of legs, abs, and lower back. I also moved from two sets of ten up to three sets of ten for everything today. That’s a big step forward and I’m fucking proud of myself.

Shit happens in life and I’m making a concerted effort not to allow triggered reactions to cause unnecessary anxiety. Anxiety sucks and it can be very influential. I don’t it coloring my world or trapping me inside an endless game of what if. In other words, I don’t want my present or my future to be controlled by my past. Does that make sense?

We all have a past, myself included. I’m trying very hard to allow my past to be just that, my past. I feel like today was a test for me and I think I kicked ass.

I channeled my anxiety into something constructive and healthy. I didn’t allow what was going on inside of my head to impact anyone else in a negative way. I walked away from the gym completely exhausted but proud of myself. I successfully shook off the thoughts and emotions that were weighing my down. I feel amazing and I’m going to own the rest of the day.

I saw this quote on the back of a Jeep this morning, while I was walking through the parking lot.

We only get one life. If I’m lucky, I’m at the halfway point and rather than allow the past to bring me down or rob me of happiness or joy, I’m going to live it to its fullest. I’m going to choose happiness and hopefulness over fear. I’m going to take chances, and make mistakes, but I will also learn from them.

Life is far too short.