I am always a little surprised by the ways in which we sabotage ourselves with what we can’t do rather than just saying “I’m doing that” whatever that is. Many moons ago I got a postcard in the mail to “go further than you’ve gone before”. It was a flyer for a marathon fundraising group. I had never run a marathon, nor had I run much to speak of since high school, but that flyer managed to stick around on the counter. Then I started polling people to see how much they would sponsor me to run a marathon. The responses were hysterical. Then I asked my mother (I bet she won’t be happy I’m writing this here either *smile*) her response was “You are not a runner, you can’t do that.” So of course I signed up the next day. I did finish, but it was before I found Pilates and it wasn’t perhaps my finest running experience. But I FINISHED!
The moral here is that we have the ability do the things we WANT to do if we set our mind to it and DO the work. Hence I tell everyone that if they WANT to run a marathon and they are willing to DO the training then they can. Period.
I was recently having a chat with a client about getting started on her walking program. We have been chatting about this for quite some time and agreed that June was the time. So here we were mid-June still talking so I asked “What’s holding you back?” While she knew something was holding her back she honestly just did not know.
So fire-starter that I am, I started to tell her what I do when I’m not feeling my scheduled run, to help light a fire and get that walking program underway. I started with the dialogue that starts in my head when I really don’t want to do it, then mentioned some wardrobe choices, then back to the continued dialogue in my head trying to talk me out of it… more on my strategies to overcome this internal conversation in future posts.
Her immediate response was shock! Which frankly shocked me. YOU struggle with these same challenges!
Of course I do!
Being perpetually happy about working out is a bit like having a perfect family. Anyone that tells you they never have an off day is lying!
All that said, she took a couple of my suggestions and a couple weeks later we took that first walk together. Because sometimes you just need the extra confidence and motivation of a coach to prove to you that you can do anything you choose to commit to. She is well on her way to her first 5k this fall and I am so proud of the great strides she is making on her path.
Are there things holding you back from taking a hike or trying out that climbing wall or some other daring activity that seems to be just out of reach? Or have you overcome your doubts to achieve something amazing?
