A few days after completing the 2023 Cape Town marathon, I wrote a thank you note to Michelle on my blog page. In this piece, I wrote the following:

“I had to take some time to figure things out especially my ‘why’ and then my ‘how’ – both felt unfigureoutable.”

My Kopskuif-course started at the end of last month. It is a weight-loss preparation course. In this course, I try to unpack the world of diets and exercise and try to make it slightly less intimidating for someone who knows that they need to lose weight but is unsure of where to start. (Before you ask, it is only available in Afrikaans) My focus for about half of this course is on ‘why’; during the other half, I focus on ‘how’.

Without realising it then, when I wrote my thank you note to Michelle, I reiterated that I needed to figure out my ‘why’ and ‘how’ – concerning running in this case. Obviously ‘why’ and ‘how’ are two concepts that have become very important to me over the last seven years, so much so that I find myself automatically going back there whenever life throws me a curve ball and I am not quite sure how to regroup and continue. I reflect a lot and find it interesting that I had somehow fallen into the habit of doing this.

Perhaps having a solid ‘why’ and following it through with an equally well-contemplated ‘how’ is the secret to living a full life and chasing all the dreams you’ve ever wished to pursue. Of course, other things, like consistency, forming new habits and having support, also play a role, but I believe that ‘why’ and ‘how’ are most important, especially when needing to make a mind shift.

When reaching a point in your life where you feel defeated, with your back against a wall or unsure of how to move forward and grow as a person, what is your go-to way of handling such a situation?