One Weekend Doesn't Define the Journey

Last Sunday, I asked the question, What is your body trying to tell you?

If you haven't had a chance to listen to this week's podcast yet, you can do that here before reading today's reflection.

Listen to the Podcast

One of my favorite parts of this new rhythm is that I don't try to answer the question right away. Instead, I carry it with me throughout the week. I take it on my walks, think about it while I'm driving, and simply pay attention. By Wednesday, I usually realize the answer isn't something I could have written on Sunday because I hadn't lived it yet.

This week, I woke up Monday morning feeling off. I wasn't feeling particularly stressed, but I also wasn't feeling like myself. My body felt sluggish, my mood wasn't as positive as it had been, and as I looked ahead at everything I wanted to accomplish this week, I felt more overwhelmed than excited. That isn't usually how I begin a Monday, so I knew there was something worth paying attention to.

At first, I thought my body was simply telling me that I needed more time for myself. There was certainly some truth in that. My work revolves around caring for other people. I spend my days leading workshops, teaching classes, preparing meals, encouraging growth, and supporting people who depend on me. When I come home, I don't really stop. I spend my evenings writing, recording podcasts, developing Becoming, preparing for the Becoming Circle, and working on all of the ideas that have been growing in my heart over the past year. I genuinely love every one of those things, but they all require my attention and energy.

Over the years, I've learned that I need time to return to myself. Walking, writing, sitting quietly with my journal, or simply spending a little time alone isn't about escaping my life. Those moments are restorative. They help me think more clearly, reconnect with what matters, and continue showing up with the kind of presence I want to bring to both my work and the people I love.

Because I recognized that feeling early Monday morning, I made a decision. I knew what I needed wasn't to cross more things off my to-do list. What I needed was time to reflect before discouragement had a chance to write the story for me. So after work, I went for my walk, listened to the podcast again, and gave myself the space to pay attention.

As I walked, another realization surfaced.

For the past four weeks, I've been incredibly consistent. I've exercised almost every day, stayed focused on my routines, and made steady progress toward goals that matter to me. This past weekend was different. I didn't work out, I didn't eat quite as well as I had been, and I simply stepped away from the habits that had been helping me feel my best. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a weekend to slow down. We all need that sometimes. But my body was letting me know that it noticed the difference. My walk felt harder than it had the week before, I didn't have the same energy, and almost without realizing it, my thoughts began to change right along with my body.

That was probably the biggest insight of the day.

Nothing about my work had changed. The podcast was the same podcast I had been excited to release just a few days earlier. The Becoming Circle was still taking shape in exactly the way I had hoped. My writing was still moving forward. My goals hadn't changed.

The only thing that had changed was how I felt.

And because I wasn't feeling my best physically, I quietly began questioning things that hadn't seemed uncertain just a few days before. I doubted my progress. I questioned my work. I could feel that familiar pull toward all-or-nothing thinking, the voice that whispers, Maybe you're not doing as well as you thought.

Years ago, I don't know that I would have recognized what was happening. I probably would have believed those thoughts. One off weekend would have turned into a week of missed workouts. The discouragement would have grown, and before long I would have quietly drifted away from the habits that had been helping me become the person I wanted to be.

But that's exactly why reflection has become such an important part of my life.

Later that evening, I completed the four-week review for my Foundations program. Instead of looking at the last forty-eight hours, I looked back over the last month. I was reminded that I had created The Sunday Pause, launched the Becoming Circle, stayed consistent with nearly every workout, made it all the way to the lake on one of my walks, and made meaningful progress on Becoming Expressive. My clothes are beginning to fit differently, even if the scale hasn't changed very much yet, and I have more clarity than ever about how I want to grow Becoming. I've also connected with several people who will be joining the podcast in the coming weeks, conversations that I truly believe will strengthen this community.

As I looked over everything that had happened during the past four weeks, I realized how easy it is to let one difficult day become the entire story. The truth was that I wasn't failing. I was making progress. I had simply allowed one weekend of feeling out of rhythm to become louder than four weeks of consistently showing up.

On my way home, I stopped at Walmart to pick up the binders and supplies I needed to organize the business plan I've been developing. It struck me on the drive home that nothing about my schedule had changed. I still had the same projects waiting for me. I still had the same client meeting that evening. I still had the same week ahead of me.

What had changed was my perspective.

By taking the time to reflect instead of react, I interrupted a story that could have taken me somewhere I didn't want to go. I remembered that progress isn't measured by one workout, one meal, one weekend, or one Monday morning. It's measured by what we choose to do over time, and one imperfect weekend doesn't erase weeks of intentional choices.

As I thought about the question one last time, I realized my body had been trying to tell me several things at once. It was reminding me that I needed the quiet space that helps me reconnect with myself. It was reminding me that the habits I've been building really do matter because they affect not only how I feel physically, but also how I think emotionally. Most of all, it was reminding me to pause before believing every thought that shows up on a difficult day.

That's what reflection has become for me.

It's not about finding the perfect answer. It's about creating enough space to remember what is true before temporary feelings convince me that I've lost my way.

Because one weekend doesn't define the journey.

And one difficult day doesn't erase a life that is slowly, intentionally, and beautifully becoming.

Becoming, always returning,

Carrie

Founder, Total Transformation

NBC-HWC Health Coach

ACE Personal Trainer, & Behavior Change Specialist

PN Level 1 Nutrition Coach

Mental Well-Being Certified Fitness Professional