“Before a dream is realized, the soul of the world tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’re moved toward that dream. That’s the point which most people give up” 

Paulo Coehlo’s except from the book “The Alchemist” to me speaks about the importance of three things in our lives:

1. Patience: The big picture perspective and patience to pursue your health and fitness goals is one of the most foundational aspects to always keep in mind. Without the long term goal in mind, it is easy to get discouraged when life events come up.

2. Self Reflection: Mentioned before, taking a “personal inventory” allows constant, continual progression as well as valuable learning opportunities necessary to make adjustments.

3. Wisdom: A word, phrase, idea, piece of advice… loaded with experience and withstood the test of time. The natural progression of information – knowledge – wisdom is one that takes time, but more importantly well invested time.