Today’s post is a little different than normal y’all. Usually I’m sharing some actionable steps that will push you towards your goal, to cut out overwhelm, or to help make a more balanced life.. but today – I want to share a personal story. Something I hope will provide some encouragement or inspiration to take with you on your journey.
It’s no secret that I’ve been on my own journey, from an overwhelmed, stressed out, anxious mom who felt like her life was spinning out of control – and didn’t even recognize herself when she passed by a mirror – TO – a mom who is managing her anxiety, knows how to handle her overwhelm, has balance in her days & weeks, and is the best version of herself she’s ever been. I’ve tried to take you all along for the ride, every painstakingly embarrassing step & set back.
A year (+) ago as I started to get my body moving again, I started with the Couch to 5k App. It was hard – each time that unicorn voice came on my headphones and said “let’s jog” I wanted to vomit. And I watched every singe step of my pretty pink Nike’s hit the pavement. I counted down the seconds of that jog block. And when the voice finally said “shew… take a breather, let’s walk”, I would look back up – and couldn’t believe that I had covered NO GROUND. Seriously, I felt like I had just ran miles & miles (in that like 60 second block) – but I’d look up and had literally only ran by like two houses.
Run after run, day after day.. the same cycle. Voice says jog, look at my feet, voice says walk, look up, be pissed off that I had only covered a little ground. The runs got easier, I wasn’t as out of breath – but when I looked up – I was still amazed that I hadn’t gone farther.
One particular run, I was feeling pretty good about myself. So the first time that voice said “let’s jog” I kept my head up. I didn’t look down at my feet. I looked straight ahead at a mailbox, and told myself – just make it to that mailbox. I did. I actually passed it. It was a good 100 yards farther than I usually made it during that first block. I couldn’t believe it – so I did it on the next block, and the next. And I kept making it farther than I had ever made it before. I was breathing easier, because I wasn’t holding my head down. Everything about the run felt easier. I felt more accomplished. I went farther. All I changed was holding my head up..
Y’all, when we look down – when we look exactly where we are standing RIGHT NOW, we can’t set a goal. We can’t even see what may be possible, because we are too focused on where we are right now. Vision based solely on where are feet are planted at this moment only proves to us that we haven’t gotten where we think we should be.
When you look to where you are heading, you start seeing what’s possible. You can make a goal of where you want to end up – and you know what it’s going to take to get there. Looking forward, you’ll see obstacles coming at you before you get to them. You’ll see your progress. And best of all – you can breathe easier –
Stop looking at where you are in this very moment, look up. Where are you headed? Do you know how to get to where you want to go? Get your head up, stop looking at your feet. You’ve got this!
Until Next Time-
ALL THE MAGIC,
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