It's a Lot Easier to Keep Going...

…than to get restarted.

That’s all I could think of last night while huffing and puffing and sweating profusely. I was only two miles into a measly three mile run and a pace much slower than I ran seven weeks ago.

But that was the problem. It’s been seven weeks since the Chicago Marathon, and I’ve not run so much as a block since.

It’s a lot easier to keep going than to get restarted.

Had I kept it up, three miles would be a cakewalk. But we left for Israel right after the marathon and even though I brought my running gear, there was no time. When we got back, I was out of the habit. And since it got cold fast, I conveniently excused myself day after day. Now, I’m paying for it.

You know what I’m talking about. You’ve been there. 

Maybe you created new habits with your finances. You made a budget and paid off your credit cards. You were doing so well. And then, BOOM, you were right back at the irresponsible spending.

You were doing so well with your eating habits. For like six months, you ate healthy. No junk, very little sugar. And you were losing weight. And then, BOOM, junk food city.

You made up your mind to start reading your Bible and praying every day. And it was going good for a while. For three months straight, you read and prayed every morning before work. But something happened and now it’s been six months since you cracked it open outside of church.

The really hard thing to do is to get back at it again. But you’ve got to.

The longer it goes, the harder it will get to be. If I waited to run for another month, I wouldn’t make it a mile. I know it’s easier to keep a habit going than to restart it, but you have to.

You are not a failure because you fail. You are only a failure when you quit.

In life, we mess up. We fall down, we run amuck, we screw up, we fail. But you are never a failure because you failed. You are a failure only when you quit.

So get back at it, whatever it is. Get back to reading your Bible. Get back to church every weekend. Get restarted in your community group. Start eating healthy again. Get back to talking decently to your spouse. Whatever it is, get back at it and recreate the habit.

Then keep it going. Because it’s a lot easier to keep going than to get restarted.