A few months ago, a friend of mine asked me to go for a run with them. My first instinct was “absolutely not.” In my mind, in the list of things that I told myself I couldn’t do, running was at the top. If I were being completely honest, I think it’s an insecurity that I’ve held on to since I was in junior high. Even today, I was reluctant to post this because I saw a friend post that she was running 100 miles in a month… and I could hardly manage 26.
But the truth is, success is not measured by a certain standard set by the people around you. Success looks different for everyone, and we should strive to achieve the goals we set for ourselves without worrying about if they are good enough for the people around us. We should celebrate ourselves when we achieve these goals and take a moment to be proud. Below, I have highlighted three things that helped me when trying to achieve my goal. Whatever your goal may be, you can achieve it!
"We should strive to achieve the goals we set for ourselves without worrying about if they are good enough for the people around us."
Baby steps !!!
The first time that I went running with my friend that day, I ran one of the slowest miles I have ever run. While I could have gotten frustrated with myself that day and given up, I decided to keep trying. Every time I willed myself out the door, I got faster and faster. Until one day, in OrangeTheory, I ran my fastest mile since high school. Sometimes, when we have goals and dreams it can get incredibly overwhelming. Whether it is taking on a big project, studying for finals, or getting into shape, we all have to start somewhere. Choosing to focus on the effort and energy you can put in one step at a time will make starting a whole lot easier.
Find support
I’ll be honest, If I didn’t have the encouragement from my friend to keep going that day, I probably would have quit before I had started. Surrounding yourself with people who encourage you in the low moments and celebrate you in the high moments is so incredibly important. Whether you need accountability or just someone to tell you that you can in fact do it, choose to surround yourself with people who push you to be the best version of yourself. Sometimes, all it takes is someone else believing in us, even when we don’t.
Prove that tiny voice wrong
This was probably one of the most important points for me. I mentioned earlier that running was always something I “couldn’t” do. I avoided it with everything in me and believed that I would just never be athletic enough. And while I am not here to say that I am now a pro runner, I am here to say that I am so much better than I ever believed I would be. Too often we feed ourselves lies about what we are capable of. Sometimes, we need to get out of our own way and believe that we are more capable than what our brain is telling us. Start feeding yourself with positive thoughts and confidence in your abilities. Why not believe in yourself and see what happens?
Setting new goals can be big and scary, but totally worth it. One of my favorite quotes has always been “if you can’t beat fear, do it scared.” I hope that you will join me in believing yourself and telling that little voice inside your head that it’s wrong. If we all start living our lives this way, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. Who knows, maybe next time I’ll run 100 miles in a month. ;)
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