The thrill is gone. I’m a music lover so I must give you a little history lesson. That song was first written in 1951 by blues musicians Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell. But the most famous rendition of it was done by B.B. King in 1969. Definitely one of my top 10 favorite songs. If you have never heard it then you need to listen to it on YouTube. I had it on my playlist the other day and some interesting thoughts struck me that I want to share.
The definition of a thrill is temporary excitement, and usually happens when something is experienced for the first time. It's thrilling to ride a roller coaster. But it is more like a chore the third or fourth time you have to ride it. Thus, the definition of the thrill is that it's going to be gone soon.
You might have been thrilled to reach the health and fitness goals that you set at the beginning of your journey. You might have even been thrilled to see some progress along the way.
But what happens after that?
The magic to keep going isn’t to recreate the thrills. It's to show up and continue doing the work. To continue the journey you set out on a while ago. To make the change you seek, visualize new ones, and pursue the new adventures.
The work isn’t always glamorous. You won’t always want to get up and do it. There will be breaks, gaps, and sometimes moments of wanting to throw in the towel. But with enough grit, that initial thrill will turn into discipline. That discipline will lead you to a body that gives you confidence and a sense of pride because you ‘Made’ it. I suggest the word ‘Made’ because it took effort, originality and skill. There is nothing wishy-washy about you being on this quest to better yourself through a lifestyle change. It’s concrete and finite. It didn’t used to exist and now it does.
The day to day discipline that you acquired will turn into a gift. It will be a connection that can be transferred from you to another person. The work you put in day in and day out will give you an enormous amount of self-satisfaction. With that sense of self-worth and positive spirit you will inspire others. You will be able to encourage, reassure, and assist others who were once were you used to be.
Thrilling is fine. Mattering is more important.