Everything doesn’t work for everyone

A lot of times, we tend to compare ourselves to other people. We compare our progresses, successes, achievements, and even the smallest things in life. Why do we do this? We’re all different in our own ways and have our own journeys. I have my share of stories but I decided to talk to a friend, who we will call Sarah, and listened to her story.

I asked Sarah what some of the challenges she faced when getting into fitness was. The first thing she said was figuring out what worked for. She was constantly comparing herself to other people. She was a beginner and she was comparing herself people who had been exercising for years now. Not only that but she thought there was only one way to get fit. She used to kill herself on the treadmill and absolutely hated it. She tried lifting weight and said she hated it and also felt awkward because she felt like she was always being watched in the weight room. “Isn’t exercising and being healthy supposed to make you happy?” That was the question she constantly had in the beginning because she wasn’t experiencing any type of satisfaction or happiness from trying to better herself.

That’s when she discovered yoga. Sarah’s friend dragged her to a yoga class one day and her life changed forever. Sometimes we get caught up in other people’s progress and lives that we forget about all the other opportunities and experiences that are waiting for us out there. Yoga is something Sarah is extremely passionate about. She was able to find a balance and reach both emotional and physical happiness.

Talking to Sarah gave me some additional insight into the fitness world. I was always aware of how there was an endless amount of activities a person could get into to embrace a healthy lifestyle, but since I am passionate about lifting, that is what I would try to push people towards. Even if they didn’t like it in the beginning, I would tell them to keep pushing. Some would begin to like while others were still miserable.

It just made me realize just because I love something and it works for me doesn’t mean it will work for someone else. It’s important to understand ourselves and find out what brings us genuine happiness rather than comparing our lives to other people and trying to force their routines upon us.