Most of my grown life I’ve been more of a jogger than a walker. It’s not that I love jogging. In fact, if I’m not careful, I often overthink my decision to jog, and I talk myself out of going. More times than not though, I diligently slip on my shoes, that I leave tied just right. Next, I put on my shorts; the kind that don’t allow the inside of my thighs to rub together (Ugh, I hate that). Last, I put on my sleeveless shirt; it has to be just loose enough to allow my arms to swing without distracting my overactive mind.

What’s my reason for jogging? Well, for me, I jog because it’s one of the quickest ways to burn calories. You see, I am always on a tight schedule. I never really feel like I can get caught up. I just want to burn my calories and be done with it.

This is how I used to view my jogging routine and during my jogs, I was always preoccupied with all that I had to do and I tried to figure out how I could possibly get it all done. Between my inner chatter and watching the clock, I was quite distracted and didn’t notice much around me.

Turning the Corner of Clarity:

A few years ago, I began a life quest of sorts. I realized that my life wasn’t very fulfilling. I felt like I was a hamster on a hamster wheel; each day I was running and running, but I never got anywhere.

To make a very long story short (so long that I wrote a series of books about it, but that’s another story)–I had my priorities wrong. For so many years, I lived life at a very fast yet, unexciting pace. I knew things had to change. Over the course of a few years, I did a lot of reflecting, studying and expanding my mind and spirit. I was able to gain clarity on what was truly important in my life. There wasn’t just one thing that was important, there were several, but the order of my priorities was not serving me in my quest for happiness, peace and purpose.

One of the lessons that I learned while on my quest was to take time to be present. I began to work on being conscious and in the moment everywhere that I went. I began to see people and places as I had never seen them before. It was beautiful.

Once I began implementing this concept as a part of my daily life my whole jogging experience and life shifted. Now as I jog, I focus on being in the moment. I’m able to take time to see the beauty in the multitude of greens that grow from the wide assortment of trees. I’m able to see and acknowledge the magnificence of the sky that is never the same on any given day. I am able to feel the wind on my face and see all of nature swaying in unison with that same wind.

Walk of Gratitude:

Jogging is now an adventure not a race. And you know, now, I even slow down and walk sometimes just so that I can take the time to absorb all of the beauty around me. I call this walk, my walk of gratitude. I’m grateful that I can now use all of my senses to experience the treasures that I had overlooked for so many years.

If you want to know more about how to create more gratitude in your day-to-day life, click here: My Spiritual Backpack: Gratitude for Growth