The Starting Line
Two days ago, I went for a run. It started the same way it always does—with resistance.
I didn’t want to start. I didn’t want to keep going. I focused on my cadence, but the negative thoughts crept in. I got tired, walked for a bit, then started again. It was cold. My mind wandered. I couldn’t escape my own head.
But then again—why would I want to?
The Path
Fully accepting the moment—where I was, where I am—that was the shift.
In a way, we’re always back at one. Each day, each session, each moment is a reset. But at the same time, we carry every past experience with us, a momentum waiting to be tapped into. Sometimes, it fuels us forward. Sometimes, we stop. We quit for the day, for the session, for the moment.
But we must always come back.
I don’t believe in free will, yet I’ve been programmed to never give up. As long as I have breath in my lungs, there’s always an option. That’s the foundation of Vipassana meditation—always returning to the breath. A lifelong practice, just like resilience.
One day, my breath will stop. My body will shut down. Whether it’s today or 100 years from now, it will happen. But until then, every moment is an opportunity.
The Finish Line
Yesterday, I didn’t run.
Today, I have time to lace up again. The cold is waiting. The doubts are waiting. But so is the opportunity to push forward.
Do it for yourself. Do it for a blog post. Do it for a charity. Do it for whatever reason keeps you moving.
Move first.
Find the way forward.
Flow with the path.
— Ace
One Way Grit 