A Little Boston and a Little Self Love
Last week, I emailed my newsletter list regarding relationship to self. It was so cool to hear back from so many of you. That is a vulnerable topic! A shareable message to remind you of based on what I heard and what I continue to experience in my work with others is:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Our individual details are different, but we ALL experience things like pain and regret, emotional attachment, shame, defeat and disappointment. Sometimes it can really help to be reminded how human we are. And because we're human, I have no doubts that we are also all capable of so much more than we see inside our own tunnels sometimes.
For example... some of you know I finally got to go run the Boston Marathon in person last week. After years of working for qualifying times and years of registering, and last year’s crippled virtual attempt- oh my gosh, I cannot even describe how amazing that experience was. If you follow my social media, you saw lots of smiles and excitement. But I want you to know that there were just as many, if not more, instances of negative self-talk and a desire to give up. I have been telling people that I smiled for about 10 straight miles until my mouth got as tired as the rest of my body! Right around mile 14 I had to be honest and say to myself that I was really starting to feel this race. The latter half of Boston is hill territory and miles 14 - 22 were a test that included higher than usual humidity, exhaustion, and unrelenting inclines after having already run that far.
It's not that there is some magical self-growth destination where we no longer have negative thoughts, or temptations, or even missteps along the way of our journey. We will, every single one of us- and sometimes more than we think we should. It's how we manage those things and what level of power we have given them that matters. Instead of letting those negative thoughts tell me to step to the sideline and call an Uber, I brought my mind to a distinct paradox to get me through: My two feet taking step after step to make it through each mile as if it was just one more mile. And, the way I would feel when I crossed the finish line. I knew I had to keep going if I was going to experience that last one. And what a sweet reward it was! Around mile 22 or so, you can see that famous Citgo sign sticking up above the city, which is finally within reach. And in that final mile, as soon as I turned right on Hereford Street, the crowds grew 3-people deep and the energy literally lifted me off the ground. Left on Boylston was the most exciting left turn I've ever made and you don't even feel the pain anymore as you realize that you just joined a very TINY percentage of the world in an accomplishment many work very hard to achieve.
Remember when I emailed you about the habit of your relationship to self? That habit is at the root of whether we can successfully navigate life's stresses and accomplish our desires and potential. Whether that stress is the physical and mental fatigue of a marathon, or the choice to have salad instead of a donut for lunch. That habit is at the root of why we take recommended supplements or even invest in high-level testing to determine nutrient deficiencies. That habit is at the root of the decision to skip your workout or say no to a volunteer obligation. That habit is at the root of whether you remember to fill your water bottle and pack your lunch before leaving the house, or if you make an impulse decision to hit the fast food drive through.
The relationship we keep with ourselves is what determines how we take care of ourselves, how we govern our time, and how we manage our relationships and daily demands. Next week I want to share with you the ways that I help others build that relationship to self, so stay tuned... but for now I really did just want you to know that we all have our own versions of hard on a daily basis, that you are never really alone even when you feel that way.
Let’s do hard things,
Amanda
