"Its not about what you've done. Its about what you're doing."

I love my cycle instructor at the YMCA. She plans awesome workouts, doesn't bark at us the whole time and most importantly, picks good music. One song she's hooked on right now is Calvin Harris' "Let's Go." The tune is boppy and fun, perfect for cycling (and running). The lyrics are perfect for getting pumped for a good sweat. There's a great phrase in the song; it goes, "Its not about what you've done, its about what you're doing."

My instructor picked out the song lyric during a particularly tough sprint series the other day, saying it over a few times as we were preparing for the next (of many) sprints. Her goal was to get us zoned in on the sprint we were gearing up for at that moment, not worried about how many sprints we had left and not thinking about how many we'd already done. She's the perfect mixture between cheerleader and drill sergeant; its amazing.

Anyway, I found the song and the quote to be super motivating in the moment (take that, gajillion sprints), and couldn't get it out of my head even after the class was over.

"Its not about what you've DONE. Its about what you're DOING."

Personally, for where I am in my training and running life, the quote is perfect. I've got some great accomplishments under my belt and I'm proud of every one. And, like most people, I also have some bad decisions and rough days behind me. I try not to focus on the bad days, failures and some choices I may regret. I also try not to spend too much time thinking about how great it was that I ran a marathon. So what?

This song is a (poppy, yet deep) reminder not to rest on the laurels of my past accomplishments OR let my mistakes and failures define me, as a runner and a person. I can't focus on what I've done in the past or get too caught up in what might happen in the future. Today is what matters.

 

What are you doing NOW? How hard can you work today? 

 

No one is here to see how hard you're working. Except you.

One day at a time, one foot in front of the other.

 

"Lets go, make no excuses now.

I'm talking here and now, I'm talking here and now. "