I often find it interesting how certain events in our life find us at a crossroads where we are faced with the decision of which ‘road’ to take. Neither is necessarily the ‘wrong’ path, but one is usually more fruitful than the other. Truth is- in the past, 9 out of 10 times, I’d do like most people and take the path of least resistance.
Again, it wasn’t a ‘bad’ choice, but it wasn’t always the ‘best’ choice. Somewhere along the road, something within me changed.. and I realized that ‘getting by’ was no longer enough- that I’d been getting exactly what I’d been giving- enough to get by, but I wanted more.
I realized that ‘getting’ more would mean that I would have to ‘give’ more- more of myself, and that meant actually ‘showing up’ both emotionally and physically- ready to do my best.
It was when I started ‘showing up’ every day in my own life, that I noticed things starting to change. My outlook changed, but mostly I realized that I could do far more than I ever thought I could.
Several days ago, when I called mom to tell her about my adventure in climbing the tower with Vivian, she was excited for me. She knew how often in the past, I’d been defeated before I ever started, simply because I had the mentality that I ‘couldn’t’, so I didn’t show up. I don’t mean in the physical sense, I mean in the emotional/mental sense. I can’t tell you how many times I’d stop doing something, just because things got a little difficult, or because I’d convinced myself I couldn’t, before I ever tried.
I was and still am excited about climbing that tower and those 465 steps. The fact that my legs have never been so sore in my life didn’t matter, what mattered is that I accomplished what I set out to do, and I never once doubted myself. I ‘showed up’, was present and ready to meet any challenge head on.
Today, while going through emails- I came across the following quote, which I found not only timely, but also true. I wanted to share it here, allowing me to glance back at it from time to time when I may need a reminder.
Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.
– Sam Ewing, humorist