Today is day two of being back to reality. Hayley and I spent ten very pleasant days in Hawai'i, but it got me to thinking (and I reckon I'm pretty good at that), where should I be deriving the most happiness?

This isn't going to be an enormous post as you may well be accustomed to reading from me, so don't go settling into your most snuggly lounge chair! I just wanted to point out a few of my own thoughts and feelings towards achieving goals that I have set for myself.

1. I gave myself a free pass to eat naughty vegan food while on holiday (I always do this on short trips). Coming back home, I actually felt very much relieved I could drink my green smoothies again and steer away from the sugar-rich foods I was eating a bit too much of in Waikiki.

2. I hadn't run for the entire duration while we were on holiday. For about a week before we left (and including about two or three days upon arriving in Honolulu) I had noticeable pain in the top of my foot. When I stuck to walking, the pain disappeared. I self-diagnosed it as tendonitis. It probably was. After a good night's sleep once we arrived back home, I woke up at 5 am and went for a run. Am I pain free? Nope. My quads hurt, but that just feels like general exercise-induced muscle pain but as far as my feet go, they're great! Maybe my sissy tendons are growing a pair of knuts. They better be!

3. Today I walked. I criticised myself for not running. I mean, what have I been telling myself? Grit the teeth and embrace the pain. Maybe at least I could have run a few kilometres instead of my usual ten or twelve. I tell you, it's a feeling of guilt and regret when you lift the bar and don't quite reach it in the future.

4. One of my worries was that I wouldn't get back into writing as vigorously as I need and want to deep down. I spent some time today writing another Steemit article to be released at a later date, but it wasn't anywhere near as much as I wanted to and to top it off, I didn't add a single word to my manuscript.

5. On the plus side, I spent forty minutes catching up on Français (French, for you lay folk) quizzes and filling in my journal planning my days and reviewing my goals. Self-reflection is immensely important and has ensured I have kept my eye on the prize. And no, I haven't forgotten that we shouldn't be necessarily focusing on the end prize, but the prize that is the process itself.

Don't leave just yet..

That's it. This was only meant to be a brief reflection and tally of my thoughts. This was always meant more for me than for you, but if you gleaned something from this, be sure to say hello in the comments.

Remember that twelve kilometre run I did after my first night's sleep back home? I ran it in a personal best time. I shaved 4% off my time. And that included stopping to take photos (I really wasn't taking the run all too seriously but trying to enjoy the morning's quiet alone). Not bad, eh!

Take care, all. Here's to your successes.

Nick.

All content is original and belongs to @nickmorphew. [27 January 2019]

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