Glad I Did It

“Be deliberate, act with intention.” ~ Twyla Tharp

I learned, the other day, that “glad I did it”, and “glad it’s done” aren’t the same thing.

I began a session with a client like always, checking in. Part way through he said that some days it’s harder than others to get started, his mind starts to pick away at his resolve.

A little voice says, ” Why are you going to do that? You should be sitting in the recliner with a book and a bag of cookies.”

” That’s just noise though,” he said, “you learn to let it go and get started.”

“And, then pretty soon you’re glad it’s done,” I said.

“No”, he replied, ” It’s not that , it’s really more that I’m glad I did it.”

There’s a difference between those two: glad it’s done and glad I did it. One focuses on the event . The other focuses on my choice and my action. One conveys a sense of relief, the other a sense of empowerment.

It isn’t either / or. I can be glad the workout is done or the race is over AND glad I did it. What struck me was how important the second part of that is and how often we stop at the first, just being glad something is done when the reward is as much in the action as it is in the completion. Maybe more.

The choice to act on what is important, especially when it’s challenging , strengthens us in a different way than the physical work and gives us a different kind of stamina.

What’s out there today, challenging you, inviting you, waiting for you, that when it’s done you can say, ” I’m glad I did it?”