On Being Wonder Woman | Blogmas Day 19

Last night after work I went to the gym for a 6 mile run on the treadmill. While I was running I was thinking about how proud of myself I am for sticking so closely to my training schedule and reintegrating regular exercise into my daily routine. I know how hard I had to fight to make training a priority again and now that it feels like a normal part of my week I've been feeling a lot better about myself and getting excited about running. I watched a bunch of Chicago Marathon vlogs while I ran and got myself so psyched knowing I'd be running those streets in less than 10 months. I left the gym feeling really good and came home tired, but happy.

But then I looked at my kitchen sink and immediately started to beat myself up. 

There was still dirty dishes in there from the night before. I know I was out of the house for the entire day and most of the evening, and that my schedule wasn't going to allow for me to do chores until after work the following day, but for some reason I let the fact that I hadn't done the dishes yet totally defeat me. Why couldn't I make time for something so simple? What was wrong with me?

I feel like sometimes (read: a lot of times), like Lorelai Gilmore, I want to be Wonder Woman. I want to be able to do every. single. thing. I want to be able to:

-bring my best self to work every day

-train for marathons and be the best runner I can be

-read every single book

-keep the house sparkling clean

-be a good partner and friend

-cook homemade meals every night

-make everyone happy

For whatever reason if can't do every single one of these things each day, I let myself feel so defeated. I'm really not one to give myself a break, and I'm not sure where I developed this fun little trait of mine, and I so need to change that attitude. I feel like even on their best day, it is so overwhelmingly difficult for someone to accomplish every single one of those tasks on that list. So why do I beat myself up so much when I really don't have to? 

It's okay to revel in the times I feel accomplished and proud without letting something small like a sink full of dishes get me down. Doing it ALL is next to impossible and the more I can realize that it's okay (and necessary) to focus on what feels good in each moment, the better I will feel on a more regular basis. My best self is going to be different every day and as long as I'm trying my best, I can fancy myself Wonder Woman (even if the sink is full of dirty dishes 😉).