Do you see beauty in a sunset, or staring at the ocean? Maybe the miracle of new life allows you to see God’s beauty. Often I find beauty lies under the superficial layers we present to the world; these hold all of the power. One such layer is strength. Both in the physical, and mental aspect. Experiences, failures, wins, losses. They all stack up together to make us stronger. I have learned to lean into the idea of failure. Largely because just on the other side of these “failures” I have experienced some of my greatest WINS!
Recently, I signed up for a CrossFit competition. Yeah, yeah I know. What was I thinking?? I was pushing 40, and let’s face it…my body isn’t what it used to be. The truth is, I needed to prove something to myself. Maybe I needed to know I was still capable, that I could still do the hard things. I spent the next 3 months training, 6 days a week, over an hour a day. It would be my first time competing in 3 years. Two weeks before the event I got incredibly sick. It is highly likely that overtraining and stress were at the root of my sickness. It was no matter. Nothing was going to prevent me from competing. So I showed up and did everything I could to hide my fatigue. In the end, my body didn’t show up ready to give 100% effort, but my mind did. And that mental fortitude enabled me to finish the day, and we even squeaked out with a 7th place finish! Maybe you have similar experiences.
Have the odds been stacked against you? Does everyone else around you have more opportunity and more privilege? Probably. It’s rare to find a strong person with an easy past. Rise up and breakdown all perceived obstacles. Make your mind bulletproof STRONG. Because what could be more beautiful than reaching your full potential in life? See you at the top beauties!
