Perseverance

Perseverance.

That’s not an easy word to spell, and yes, I did google it first to make sure I got it right!

This is a pretty spontaneous blog post to be honest with you, and as I sit here typing away, I’m not exactly sure where it’ll lead, but there’s only one way to find out!

The date today is the 14th September. I know that’s not actually today’s date as I’ve scheduled this post after I’ve written it, but as I sit and type, that is today’s date.

This morning I went for a run.

Nothing unusual about that. It’s something I’ve been doing on a regular basis for quite some time now.

Granted the past five weeks have been pretty difficult.

I was made redundant, and I tore a muscle in my leg – not great when you’re training for your first half marathon.

The past five weeks, however, have taught me a lot about myself.

First off, on the job front, it would have been so easy to not to look for another job.

I could quite easily have lived off my redundancy payout for a good number of months, but that’s not me.

It’s just not in me. To not have a purpose. To not work.

People around me suggested I start claiming benefits straight away, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that.

There’s nothing wrong with claiming benefits for those who genuinely need to, but I just didn’t want to. Yes, I’ll admit there’s a stigma attached to those who do claim benefits and perhaps I am a little snobby about it, but this is where perseverance paid off.

I’ve lost count of the amount of jobs that I applied for in the days following me accepting redundancy.

Thankfully, within a few days, I was offered an interview to be a care worker and I’ve successfully passed the training.

From the time that I took redundancy to the time that I got my new job, I was never unemployed. I’ve literally gone from one job to another.

When I think about running. I will admit for the first two weeks after my injury I tried to keep running, but two weeks in and having the lost the ability to walk without limping and moaning in pain, I gave in and decided to rest.

It was tough not being able to run. Strange I know, but I felt like something was missing from my life!

Over the past week, I’ve made an albeit slow return to running, but after my 10k run this morning, things are starting to look up.

In January of last year I couldn’t even run 1k, and I could have so easily given up, but again, perseverance pays off. If you want something that much, then you really can do it if you put your mind to it.

Running isn’t easy, but like anything in life, nothing ever is. When I’m struggling, I go to the same place in my mind that’s all always helped me get through anything.

My mum.

Yes, she passed away 12 years ago, but I just tell myself how strong my mum was and that I too can be strong like her. She fought ovarian cancer and my goodness, she did so with a strength I’ve never seen before. 

She’s my inspiration. My motivation. My idol.

So, when things feel like they’re going wrong. Find some perseverance. Find some inspiration. Find a goal, a challenge and give it a go. You never know. You may surprise yourself.