The Moment of Clarity

I would like to speak to the "Ah ha" moment.

That moment when the fog clears, the sun comes out and all of a sudden you see your goals right in front of you, attainable and ready for you. It's a moment of clarity, as my friend put it, where the B.S. and excuses are over and it's finally time for you. 

I was having a conversation with an old friend today. She has recently decided to give up caffeine. Red bulls she was having on the daily and she decided that she's had enough and doesn't want to be a slave to caffeine anymore. 

The first few days were pretty brutal for her, and she sent me a text saying;

"It is supposed to hurt this much at the beginning?"

And today, she sent me a text saying;

"Did you have a sense of clarity?"

Clarity. The Ah Ha Moment. The answer to both of her questions, was yes. Yes, it hurt so much in the beginning. Letting my body detox from all of the crap I was putting into it for years was hard, it hurt and all I wanted to do was fall face first into a pizza and diet coke. It hurt because my body was going through withdrawals, I had headaches that I could no longer remedy with diet coke and my comfort was and had been food. So yes, it hurts bad in the beginning. I think if it didn't hurt, it wouldn't feel like such an accomplishment once the fog cleared.

Yes, I had a moment of clarity. About 2 weeks into eating clean I felt like the darkness over me lifted. It was like I could see myself standing in front of myself a year later (from when I started) and I could actually visualize what I would look like and I was wearing a lot of spandex (my wife can already attest to the fact that it's basically all I wear now). 

In all seriousness though, I could see myself as an athlete, competing in races and being my best self. I realized then that the power of visualization is incredibly powerful. It pulls our universe towards those visual goals and makes them a reality. 

When I'm in the pool I have my best moments of clarity. There is nothing more peaceful than the quite of the water as I swim laps. It's there that I visualize myself, swimming in an Ironman, calling myself an IRONWOMAN. It's there that I visualize myself at my goal weight. 

For me, once I had that moment of clarity, I haven't looked back. It was the moment I (for lack of a better phrase) "Drank the Kool-Aid" of wellness for myself. I realized it was possible, it was no longer an" if", but a "when." 

Many people comment on my iron will power, when it comes to food and training. Yes, it's will power, but the will power is powered by something much deeper. It's powered by the knowledge of "I can, and I will" it's powered by that moment of clarity where I could see myself, an athlete, standing in the sun a year from then. It's powered by the drive to be better than I was yesterday and to be my best self. It's powered by those millions of small decisions I make every day that take me one step closer to my goal. 

The will power. The Drive. The Strength. The Kool-Aid are all powered by that Moment of Clarity. And that's the moment my life changed. Forever.

Have you had your moment of clarity? If so, share it with me in the comments- I'd love to hear from you!