Sore.

You've just gotten home from work, plop down on the couch and turn on the TV. You reach for the remote that is slightly too far away, and as you grab it you realize just how tired your muscles are from the gym the day before. You had spent 3 hours working out and exhausting yourself to improve yourself. You feel awful and you just want to sleep. That's how you know you've done well. You've worked hard. You gave it your all. You're improving yourself and you're tired from it. I saw this picture this afternoon and I thought it was brilliant.

It's so true! Speaking as someone who probably should but doesn't usually work out, I can't really talk on the physical side of being sore. Translating that into work ethic, however, is my specialty. Being mentally "sore" is one of my favorite feelings. When I finally finish one of my many projects and I come out of the day exhausted, I know I've done well. About a month ago, I had one of the longest weekends, working on a project. I spent the whole weekend shopping for and building and painting and fixing... etc... the set and props for my school musical... and our sets go hard. They're so elaborate it's ridiculous. Weekends are supposed be relaxing, but I went into my week exhausted and ready for a nap the moment I woke up. When I walked into school, however, I saw the theatre and it looked more beautiful than ever. I knew it was ready for opening night when I saw how awesome everything looked. I hadn't really admired anything on build day, because I just wanted to get everything done, but the set really turned out to be beautiful. It was then, admiring the pieces, that I realized how grateful I was to have worked on this fantastic show. It was an amazing project that I was so proud to have accomplished with my cast. That's why being sore is important. Soreness is proof of a job well done. Working so hard to the point where it's physically exhausting, that's when you're working hard enough. I use "enough" to reference yesterday's blog, because doing the best you can is always the best way to work. In my opinion, that's enough. Do enough to be sore, and be proud of it. Make sure what you're doing is worth your time, then do it to your fullest potential. Work hard. Complete your project. Be enough. BE SORE. Love, Noelle