Why would you let anything stop you from what you have the ability to do?

“Why would you let anything stop you from what you have the ability to do?”

Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy

I read this question in a book and it’s a great question to think about. “What stops us from doing things we have the ability to do?” Fear, pride, failure, humiliation and laziness all come to mind. But fear is the strongest motivator for not doing something, not trying and not continuing. We give up sometimes way too soon because we are afraid of being pushed out of our comfort zones. We’re afraid to try and we give up when it get’s too hard. It’s only during the hard times, the struggle, that you get stronger. It’s just like the exercise principle of overload. You must add more resistance and overload the muscle in order to gain strength and hypertrophy (muscle growth).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

I’ve been hesitant to share my big decision out of fear; fear of the unknown and fear of my own weakness. Reading the passage above motivated me to not let fear stop me from doing what I have the ability to do. I plan to and I will run my first Half-Marathon (13.1 miles). I’ve been afraid to say it and reluctant to commit to it, but I am going to do it.

November 13 will be the day that I run 13.1 miles.

Fear is a crippling thing, which holds us from our God given potential. Fear causes us to give up on things we want, our hopes and dreams, people and relationships. The enemy fills us with doubt and insecurity but that’s not God’s will at all for our lives. Faith and fear contradict each other. When your body is tired and your mind feels heavy and your heart is overburdened, just think about the overload principle. You get stronger with added resistance. Push past the fatigue and the pain because there is a far greater reward. Where there is faith there can’t be fear. This I know.

Fear is not going to stop me from what I have the ability to do. Running 13.1 miles is not easy and I will definitely be pushing myself past the pain, the fatigue and my self-imposed limits. I’m committed to the goal and I have faith that I will finish. I’m letting go of my fears and claiming what I have a right to because God gave me the ability and the saving grace to succeed.

Follow me on my journey of self-discovery. I’m stepping out on faith and claiming my victory.

RANdomness

Whew! I think I’m really tired. I’ve been working out a lot this week and doing weird things with my sleep habits. Like, going to sleep at 9 p.m. then waking up at like 1 am and up until 4 a.m. fall asleep and the alarm is going off again at 5:30 a.m. Dang, it’s making me tired all over just thinking about it. Hopefully, I’ll pull of this little weird thing I’ve developed this week. Needless to say, I haven’t really blogged this week. There’s lots on my mind, so I’ll just pick a random thing to blog about. Hmmmmmmm, running has been good this week. My legs seem to not be as sore. I hate when I change too many things at once and I can’t figure out what really is the “it” factor or is it really just a combination of things. My formula for my working on my legs has been yoga class, lots of stretching and water throughout the day, lower leg strengthening exercises, compression socks, and my wonderful massage stick. So, I’m starting to feel minimal discomfort in the mornings and that’s a VERY good thing. Workout Update: Operation Train the Trainer is on Track I have been in kick butt mode--- running, yoga, weight training, stretching AND I just had my first (paid) Tennis lesson tonight. How was that you ask? I think it was ok. I find I require a little bit more instruction. It's difficult entering a multi-level class and not having basics covered right up front. But, I'm up for something new and I've wanted to really learn how to play for years so I'm sticking with the next 3 lessons, and I'll let you know about the re-up later.

Since I've been so off with my sleep, I really need to call it a night. Gotta get those miles in tomorrow morning. I've set the goal and now one foot in front of the other, I'm going to reach the goal.

Quote for the Day:

"It has been said that we get good at whatever we practice. Coach (Tony) Dungy practices proactive faith. This faith is not a mimmick or magic or the will of a strong mind. It is not a short-order request to receive what we want when we want it. Proactive faith is receiving everything that has been promised to us by God's Word for His purpose and in His timing. "

-Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker

Things I'm Loving On

Over the weekend I started this list of things that I am totally enjoying right now.

1. Redbox $1 Movies – OMG! How simple and how cheap for a movie. Just swipe your card,select a movie and enter your email address and a movie comes out of the slot. Best of all, you can return it to any Redbox in the area.

2. Cupcakes from Publix – mmmm, a delicious treat!

3. And, ME………….

Loving me is probably the most powerful affirmation this week. I’m at that thirty-something point in my life when I’m evaluating my career, family, friends, and my general purpose in life. I had a conversation with myself the other day (Yes, I talk to myself. It’s a result of being an only-child), and I thought out loud, “Do I really believe the things that I tell myself?” I think about all those feel good things I say to negate the doubt and insecurities that have a way of creeping up in my mind. I stop and remind myself, guard your heart and watch what infiltrates your mind because you’ll start to fixate on those things. I know there is a scripture somewhere; I’ll have to look it up later. As I started to blog tonight, I started thinking about that conversation with myself and what I believe and why. These thoughts were sparked from recent conversations with friends and so I decided the third thing on my Things I’m Loving On List would be dedicated to ME.

I love me for so many reasons, but the most important reason is because God created me—and he certainly broke the mold. I love my imperfect self. See, perfection is something I’ll never attain. But, in my imperfections, I stand to gain much. It’s in my imperfections that I have to reach, to stretch, to push, to confront and ultimately to Grow. My imperfections set the stage for my self expectations. They encourage me to want and to try to do better. Some see imperfections as weaknesses, but I see them as opportunities and blessings. See, God gave us a miraculous thing when he gave us grace. Everyday you have breath is a day to work on your imperfections. It’s an opportunity to thank God for the beauty of the mess. I’m reminded of a part in the book The Shack by W.M. Paul Young. The main character is meeting and conversing with God. They take a walk to work in this garden. Once they’re finished, he looks around and responds, "it’s mess." But, God responds yes, and it’s perfect. Lightbulb Moment! God sees the finished garden as a purposeful, perfect mess. Ding!Ding!Ding! The garden is like my life—a perfect mess. My imperfect self is the garden. And, it dawns on me as I’m blogging my thoughts, this is the meaning of living on purpose. Examining your mess, your imperfections, and purposing your heart to live better, do better, worship better, love better and just be better.

At this moment, I’m loving me even more than I did yesterday. Tonight, when I say my prayers, I have even more to be thankful for. I better understand living my purpose. In the words of Steve Harvey, “Don’t trip because God ain’t through with me yet!” And, he’s not through with me yet. I have to grow still and listen and live each day purposefully wonderful giving thanks and praise because it’s only by his grace that I’m saved and I have another chance~ to do better.

Operation Train the Trainer

Ewww, my muscles ache right now~~ my back, my neck, my triceps, and of course my legs. I'm having a love affair with my ice packs. I go through withdrawal if I miss them for a night. And, all of this in the name of health and wellness. I really do question myself at times. I laugh at my self some mornings because I get out of bed and take a few steps to see if anything is sore or achy. I have to feel my body out to see should I stretch right away or can I get dressed first. I guess this has become my life and it seems I wouldn't have it any other way especially, since this week I made two big decisions. I can't share the BIG decision with you until after August 8th (ooh, the suspense, I know), but the little decision is to issue myself a fitness challenge. I need a little more accountability--- so the trainer in me needs to kick my own butt. I need to treat myself like those I train. Write out my goals, plan and schedule my workouts and just do it. The first week of this great idea, I skipped my run on Wednesday morning for lack of sleep (and felt horrible), but I hit the gym hard that evening. I guess that's why I'm so sore right now. My Goals for the Next Four Weeks - (1)Yoga (2x per week)- This is a new committment, but my body is so tight and these achy legs are wearing me down. (2) Weight Training (2x per week) - NO EXCEPTIONS! For some reason, I tend to skip my end of the week workout about every other week because I just don't feel like doing it after my run. (3) Core -(strengthen the core) - A strong core makes a strong and fast runner. Friday's plan: 4 Mile Run Weight Training Circuit - 3 sets of 8 - 10 reps Coreboard Push ups, Kettelbell Plank Row, KB swings, KB Squat, KB Deadlift, KB Clean and Press, Leg Raises) And hopefully a lunch time Yoga Class So, I guess I better stop blogging and get some rest because I have a pretty heavy morning ahead of me...

Running My Race – It’s Not How You Start But How You Finish

Welcome to my blog! I’ve finally taken the leap to become a blogger. I am a self-confessed shopaholic! I love a deal and anything cute! And, I love to RUN (sometimes, maybe ~I think)! My blog is not about one specific topic but things that are passionate and important to me or things that just happen to be on mind. Running has become a motivator and release in my life. It’s one of those things I never thought I’d do--- but I guess never say never. As I think about running and my new found commitment, I think about the many life lessons that I'm learning. There are days when I just really don’t feel like running. I get up at 5:45 or 6 a.m. to subject myself to four, five, or six miles and for the entire run I'm thinking what am I doing? Some days I feel like I can't muster the strength to even get started and some how I do and I finish my goal miles for that day. A few weeks ago in bible study I heard something that sparked me to think about the comparison of my running and my spiritual life. My teacher said you have to press on and it’s not how you start this thing, but it’s how you finish it. If you know anything about running or racing, you’ll understand it’s really all about the finish. On training days, you want it to be over. On race days, you want to finish and finish with a good time. In February, I decided to run a 10K. This was my second race ever and my longest(6.2 miles) in my short running career. I remember every mile and every hill I had to climb ---I swear it was at least 20! I had to walk a few times and I had to encourage myself to keep going. Everything in me wanted to quit and I cursed myself for signing up for this because I knew deep down I wasn’t ready. But, I kept on. I pushed past my limits ---- no matter how uncomfortable and hard it felt. I kept going. And at the end, I finished strong with that final kick across the finish line. I remember that last 1/4 mile and every thing hurt. I wanted to quit but then I realized how close I was to the finish line. I heard cheers and the finish line was in my sight. No walking and no giving up for me. My legs seemed to take on new life and I picked up my pace and ran across that finish line strong. Wow! I'm glad I didn't give up because finishing the race was worth the struggle. I accomplished what I thought was impossible. Mile three was the hardest. I stopped several times and I really thought about going to the emergency station to quit but I didn't and I'm so glad I pressed on. Well, life’s trials are a lot like running a race but in life you can’t see the finish line. You know that it's there but you can't see it or even predict how long it will take you to get there. Each day, each challenge and each struggle are much like the miles in a race. You press on. You learn to lean on faith and trust God to carry you to a strong finish. And when it’s all over, you feel much like the end of a race. Thank you God, I didn't give up ~ I finished.

On my runs I often pray and talk to God. I’m finding strength in my running, and in life. My trials are much like my race, and I’m going to keep running determined to finish strong. Trusting and believing, I'm going to run on and see what the end will be. This is a little heavy for my first blog post, but today it was on my heart and my motivation. Hopefully, I’ve inspired someone to run on.