Today when I ran I thought about you. It was my third time
running over Ben Franklin Bridge. The first time I did it I was a mess, I
prayed and tried so hard not to walk, every step was a fight and a
struggle. After it was all said and done, I only walked about a quarter
of the way. That bridge tore me up, but I finished and that was the
first day that I did two runs back to back. On that Saturday, I ran 5
miles because I kept pushing myself, and even after I stopped, I took a
rest and started again because I realized after the fight that I could
actually go farther.
It was not easy, and it was not fun, to keep going I thought of all of those people who I met who inspired me, I thought of all the fighters I had met. Tom who had a stroke but still managed to walk to McDonalds every day. The women who ran marathons and lost tons of weight. Stacey who decided to change her life and used Zumba to reshape her mind and her body, and shared her experience on her blog. I thought about my abuse, and how I finally got the courage to tell 23 years later. I thought of ever abuse victim who finally took their voice back and ever person who made it against the odds, and got themselves out of the prison of secrecy and lies. I thought of you, and I said if I can push and I can do it this, then I could tell you, and you can do the same thing. Whenever I share something I do not do it to brag, it is not about me. I have fallen plenty of times just like many of you. The question is what do you do after the fall. I share my stories with you to remind you that if I can do it, you can do it too. It may seem like a simple message, but when you in the thick of things boy does it help to know someone else has been where you are and made it out to tell the story.
When I ran this morning, you have no idea how many times I wanted to quit. How many times I said it won't matter if I stop for a second to catch my breathe, but I know in my mind it does. If I stop once, I will stop over and over again. I will make up an excuse of why I should stop again and again, and when I feed into that, I will feel terrible. Maybe you do the same thing.
I do not know what you are trying to achieve, maybe you want to run a marathon, get a new job, leave an unhealthy relationship, fight for what you know is right, or reclaim your life. I do not know what your plight is I just know you have one (we all do)! Quitting is easy, it is fighting that is hard.
When I got to the end of the bridge today, I had such a sense of accomplishment, I knew that I did not give into my feelings, or to my desires to quit. I did not listen to myself and all of the longing that I had to throw in the towel, I kept going and that gave me such a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
Today I pray you have the same experience. I want you to push past quit. Believe in yourself today, do not let your failures or disappointments get you down. Choose to keep going when you want to quit and know in the end, it is you and only you that determines what you are capable of, so PUSH! If you need a cheerleader remember I am cheering for you and I am praying for you! You can make it, even if you do not think you can! I believe, and I pray that you will believe enough to give yourself a chance to win! So when you are climbing upwards, and the hills are high, when you feel feels like it is too much, keep going. Remember you can not quit someone else needs your story so they can being to believe in their own.
It was not easy, and it was not fun, to keep going I thought of all of those people who I met who inspired me, I thought of all the fighters I had met. Tom who had a stroke but still managed to walk to McDonalds every day. The women who ran marathons and lost tons of weight. Stacey who decided to change her life and used Zumba to reshape her mind and her body, and shared her experience on her blog. I thought about my abuse, and how I finally got the courage to tell 23 years later. I thought of ever abuse victim who finally took their voice back and ever person who made it against the odds, and got themselves out of the prison of secrecy and lies. I thought of you, and I said if I can push and I can do it this, then I could tell you, and you can do the same thing. Whenever I share something I do not do it to brag, it is not about me. I have fallen plenty of times just like many of you. The question is what do you do after the fall. I share my stories with you to remind you that if I can do it, you can do it too. It may seem like a simple message, but when you in the thick of things boy does it help to know someone else has been where you are and made it out to tell the story.
When I ran this morning, you have no idea how many times I wanted to quit. How many times I said it won't matter if I stop for a second to catch my breathe, but I know in my mind it does. If I stop once, I will stop over and over again. I will make up an excuse of why I should stop again and again, and when I feed into that, I will feel terrible. Maybe you do the same thing.
I do not know what you are trying to achieve, maybe you want to run a marathon, get a new job, leave an unhealthy relationship, fight for what you know is right, or reclaim your life. I do not know what your plight is I just know you have one (we all do)! Quitting is easy, it is fighting that is hard.
When I got to the end of the bridge today, I had such a sense of accomplishment, I knew that I did not give into my feelings, or to my desires to quit. I did not listen to myself and all of the longing that I had to throw in the towel, I kept going and that gave me such a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
Today I pray you have the same experience. I want you to push past quit. Believe in yourself today, do not let your failures or disappointments get you down. Choose to keep going when you want to quit and know in the end, it is you and only you that determines what you are capable of, so PUSH! If you need a cheerleader remember I am cheering for you and I am praying for you! You can make it, even if you do not think you can! I believe, and I pray that you will believe enough to give yourself a chance to win! So when you are climbing upwards, and the hills are high, when you feel feels like it is too much, keep going. Remember you can not quit someone else needs your story so they can being to believe in their own.
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