Words to Live By

I was perusing Pinterest again (oh, beloved Pinterest) and found this great quote. Hopefully by now you know how I feel about dreams - I love dreams. My dreams for my life are what keep me going and make me feel inspired. This quote struck me instantly and I felt empowered to do anything...and everything! Of course, I was just glancing and didn't think I would be writing an ode to this quote, so I didn't copy it down. So, to the best of my knowledge it went something like this...
If you're not willing to sacrifice for your dream, it's not your dream.
A lot of times when I write, not always, but often, there is some sort of back story or something that has triggered a thought and I'm like, "yeah, I should write that down". Other than finding this quote, there is no reasoning. I can't even verbalize exactly why I feel the way I do about this quote, but that won't stop me from trying. :)
Each time I say these words, I feel as if I have this entire fan club, or group of people cheering me on in my head. It's kind of a party in there all the time! Perhaps that's why I'm so easily distracted...Back to this moment, though. As I worked today and was getting frustrated with people and situations, I thought of these words and remembered that my work is a means to an end - sort of. I love to work and be busy, but I also love to play. I love to dream of trips I want to take, or other wonderful ways to spend time away. I work to be able to enjoy those dreams.
Tonight as I worked out, I was running on the treadmill which is something I NEVER do. Not even trying to be modest on that one. Running and I are not friends. On the list of things I'm not actually even supposed to do because of my back, running makes the top 3. But I'm stubborn, so I ran. I found this nifty little app for my iPod and it tells me when to run and when to walk and for how long. It's a glorious little tool. As I was running halfway through the workout, I wanted to push my speed down and walk. But each time I thought about that, I remembered these words. Was I willing to sacrifice 30 seconds of running to appease my laziness. I have a dream to be healthier - who doesn't? Was I willing to take the easy way out? Absolutely not (I may have to reconsider depending on how I feel tomorrow)! I made it.