Life is full of distractions and scenarios, which leave you wondering if you’re really cut out for obtaining your goals. Perhaps it was the grey clouds that seemed to loom ominously overhead for the better part of this week that left me feeling frustrated with myself and the progress I have been making with Judaism.

I remember when I first became determined that I was going to get into better shape and be healthier. Most of the time, it took forever to drag myself out of bed just and make it to the gym. But at the conclusion of every workout, I felt rejuvenated and much better about myself. While it might seem like an odd comparison to make, cracking open those self-teach history books on Judaism, making my way over to the Interfaith Chapel for quiet moments of prayer and talking to other people about the religion has been like making myself get up and go to the gym. When I first sit down at my desk in the mornings and devote time to just absorb information about Judaism, my brain feels confused and flustered. Sometimes I seriously just want to hurl all of those books against my dorm wall and go do something else.

Yet somehow I manage to push through it and calm myself down enough to the point where I’m actually enjoying and understanding the material. When I finish a particular chapter that I was resolved to pilfer through, I feel a sense of giddy accomplishment and the rest of my day feels meaningful. Just like the adrenaline rush I get when I go to the gym, the feeling that if the only thing I accomplished that day was getting through my readings and finding time to exercise leaves me convinced that my day was not a waste.

It’s so easy to just give up on your goals or feel as though you’d be better off not even trying because your goal is just too challenging. But, at the end of the day, perseverance is what pulls you through. True, it’s tough to get to the gym, to eat that salad over the slice of pizza, to write the essay instead of watching Desperate Housewives and to study a religion instead of simply crawling back into bed. But the feeling that you’re one step closer to achieving your goal is so satisfying that it makes the hard work completely worth it.