On The First Day... You feel great. New gym clothes, new sneakers, a new trainer, a 20-session pack of boot camp classes...new everything! The workout is tough. You're out of shape. But it's fun to be back and doing something for your health. You drag yourself to the bathroom mirror afterward and enthusiastically say, “I'm doing this!”
The Second Day...there's soreness in body parts that you didn't know could be sore. Your body is reminding you how long it's been since it worked this hard. The second-day workout kicks your butt. Combined with the Day One fatigue, it's even harder. But you push through it, and you're still excited about this new experience. It's only the second day, after all. You drag yourself home afterward, and say to yourself, with just a bit less enthusiasm, “I'm doing this!”
The Third Day...things are...different. You snooze your alarm a time or two. Your workout sneakers feel like they're made of cement. At the gym, you barely acknowledge the happy, bubbly front desk attendant. You don't want to hear your trainer's mouth. Your body and mind are not feeling this discipline thing right now. You seriously consider quitting this whole getting-in-shape scheme.
Your discipline or lack thereof, is saying loudly, “allow me to reintroduce myself!” The third day isn't confined to the gym or to sports. It's any situation where you know there's work ahead of you, and you question if you're willing to be fully present and do that work. The third day is any situation in which you don't quite feel like it and aren't so excited to work but there is work to be done. And you are responsible for getting it done. The third day is the decision that you make at that moment.
