Date: Saturday 8th August 2026
The Power of My Why
After a mentally and physically exhausting week, the thought of getting up early to do the Parkrun was not exactly appealing.
In fact, it would have been so easy to simply roll over, pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep.
But I didn’t.
So, what was my motivation to get up, get dressed and get myself to the start line?
My WHY.
If I don’t put in the time and effort now to train, I won’t be fit enough to walk the Camino next year. And somewhere inside me, I also knew that once I was up, moving and on my way, I would be so glad that I had pushed myself to get there.
And then there is something about standing at that start line with another 400 people.
Four hundred people who have also chosen to get up, get moving and show up for themselves. I like to imagine they are all eager to begin… although I suspect there were probably a few who, like me, would rather have been in bed!
But once you are there, something shifts.
Your energy changes.
Your mindset changes.
You become part of something bigger than the voice in your head telling you that you are tired.
And I am discovering that so much of what we achieve begins with our mental state.
It isn’t always about how tired we are.
It isn’t always about feeling motivated.
And it certainly isn’t about waiting until we feel like doing something.
Sometimes it is simply about remembering WHY we started.
Our why gives us direction.
It sets the intention.
It reminds us what we are working towards when the enthusiasm disappears.
And my WHY?
I want to walk my first Camino next year.
Yes, I want to become fitter and healthier as I get older. But I think there is more to it than that.
I want to challenge myself.
I want to discover what I am capable of.
I want to experience the freedom of putting one foot in front of the other and walking towards something that matters to me.
I want to prove to myself that getting older doesn’t mean getting smaller in our dreams.
And perhaps most importantly, I want to keep choosing life, movement, adventure and possibility.
Because the Camino isn’t going to begin when I arrive in the Karoo.
It has already begun.
Every Parkrun.
Every training walk.
Every early morning when I choose to get up instead of making an excuse.
Every time I take another step when I don’t particularly feel like it.
These are all part of my Camino.
And today, I am reminding myself:
– Be stronger than your strongest excuse.
– Put on your boots.
– Trust the journey.
– Take the next step.
– The path is waiting.
Until next time…
Walk gently. Walk consciously. Walk with an open heart.
— Theresa Ackerman