This time last year I started running for the first time in my life. I joined a challenge my daughter was doing and committed to 15 minutes of outside exercise a day for 30 days. My dog Bentley loved the walks and would beg to go regularly which was great motivation. He always wanted to go faster, which is how I ended up trying to run. I started just by seeing if I could make it to the next driveway, then the next phone pole, then the next street.
It was so hard but it also felt really good. My body and my heart started to feel a little stronger, my head a little clearer. It felt really good to be outside in December and to move.
That's where my practice started. It felt like forever before I could run a full mile, it felt even longer before I could run a mile at a decent pace. Every time I went out though, I noticed one tiny thing that was better than the time before. I kept it slow and steady and just kept getting out there.
My running has changed a lot since last year, but today I went back out for a run with my dog. We ended up running the same route as we used to do when we started last year. It feels good to look back and see how far I’ve come. I've now completed two half marathons and a triathlon. Something I never ever thought I could do. It just came out of a commitment and discipline to practice something. Not to be good at it necessarily, but just to stick with it.
A saying from a teacher of mine that I think about when I start new or hard things is “You have to be willing to show up and suck, to show up and shine.” Showing up is the hardest part for me but all that's required to have a practice.
What's something you’ve been thinking about doing? What would it take to start it? Make a commitment to show up for one specific thing. Let go of the outcomes, the expectations and the excuses. Just show up and when you fall and fail, show up again. What do you want to practice? Declare your practice to someone or write it somewhere for accountability and then begin.
The quote I’m pondering
“Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.”
~ Unknown
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