Brené Brown has it right when she challenges us to:
“Choose courage over comfort. Choose whole hearts over armor. And choose the great adventure of being brave and afraid. At the exact same time.” *
When I think about the last decade of my life; from who I thought I was, to who I wanted to be, to who I have become, this quote feels oh-so-relatable. The times when I stepped into the unknown were some of my greatest growth experiences. And the times when I chose to stay small or safe were when I felt the most inauthentic. Staying safe and playing small doesn’t benefit anyone; living through and owning the discomfort of growth is what creates the space for others to do the same. If you look closely, you'll notice this shows up as true across life and sport.
It took me several years to own my life path. To believe that my choices were not a sign of instability, but a sign of intention. I want to be an example of taking massive action to create a life I love. This life that I love has not been a straight line - most times I had no idea what was coming next. But what I did know was that I always had a choice. This biggest lesson I’ve learned is this: circumstances cannot cause feelings, only thoughts can cause feelings. In the past, I’ve been guilty of trying to change my circumstances (jobs, where I call home, etc) to feel better or happier. What ended up happening was I would just bring my unhappiness, stress, anxiety, you-name-the-negative-emotion with me to the new job or city. The work has been managing my mind around circumstances, making conscious thought choices and recognizing emotional charge.
These days my intention is to always be in tune with what feels authentic and in line with my personal values. Sometimes what feels authentic requires a huge amount of courage and discomfort. Hello, courage over comfort! Consciously choosing courage, fear or discomfort and moving forward anyway is the magical dance of being alive. To know that I can handle any emotion, even the shitty ones, means I’m not afraid to be all-in. Because personal growth is worth it and failure is just feedback.
On the race course, these lessons are just as important. There is so much we cannot control, yet so much we can. We cannot control the weather, the course, other athletes, volunteers, water temperature, road conditions, or any other circumstance. Those are all neutral, but we can control the mindset we choose to line up with. The bravest athletes are the ones who have their own backs no matter what. Who believe in themselves, despite having no evidence to show for it. Who aren’t afraid to go after it and line up again and again even if they come up short time after time. It’s not easy to share your goals with the world and then deal with the flood of emotion when that goal is not met. These are the athletes choosing courage over comfort. Choosing to play big. Living that grand adventure of being brave and afraid. At the exact same time. And these are the athletes that inspire others to show up just as big.
As we move into the 2019 race reason, I’m choosing the courageous route, leaving comfort behind and I hope you’ll join me. I’m ready to step into equal parts fear and excitement as I go after an age group win at Ironman Chattanooga. These are the goals I live for because they require me to stretch far beyond who I think I am to become the athlete I know I can be. Let’s do this.
XO.
V
*Brown, Brené. Dare to Lead. New York: Random House, 2018. Print
