“The Devil whispered in my ear, you are not strong enough to withstand the Storm. I whispered in the Devil’s ear, I am the Storm.”
One of my favorite quotes and if you follow us on Facebook and Instagram you’ll know that this quote is our profile picture. It’s a simple message about ignoring the negative voices and thoughts around us as we work through the toughest of challenges. I’ve used this mantra during the numerous low points during running and life. It reminds me that I can keep going and I am strong no matter the challenge before me. I’ve heard others compare running to the ups and downs of life and I don’t mean to sound like a parrot but I agree with that comparison... well almost.
Running and life can be compared to each other in so many ways, there’s a lot of work that goes into both to meet your goals, things are better with the support of friends and family, sometimes you’re alone, there are setbacks, there are gains, there are smiles, there are tears, there is excitement and there is disappointment. The ups and downs are like waves on the ocean always rolling sometimes quietly and at other times with the force of a hurricane.
In a race, you start off with anxiety and nervousness, you get into a groove, things may get tough, you push yourself, then there’s the finish and the elation of crossing that little line. Some races, bring even more anxiety followed by not doing well, falling apart and not being able to pull yourself out of the well of despair, ending with a disappointing finish or possibly with a DNF (Did Not Finish) because you cannot go on.
Similarly we can draw a comparison to our life. Every idea, dream, opportunity, and challenge brings us anxiety and nerves as we tackle them. We will often face obstacles that we must embrace or overcome to move on and be successful. Sometimes we need to adjust our expectations and sometimes we just don’t reach the finish line. Well, maybe not the same finish line we started towards because unlike in races, I do not believe that there are DNFs in life. I believe that we all have the ability to draw from our support team, alter our course, change our approach and reach our goals.
“Be stubborn about your goals and flexible about your methods.”
During the toughest storms in our lives, the trick is to be stronger than that storm and not lose sight of your goals. You must flex, stretch, adjust and embrace the storm until it is part of you and well, you are the Storm. By being flexible, you will find that your goals are still achievable; the journey may be a little longer, the path may be slow and challenging but if you are willing to keep going the rewards are amazing and you’ll look back and appreciate the journey and adventures along the way as much if not more than the destination.
I hope that as you have read this you’ve thought about some of your challenges, some of your goals, some of your “races” and how you’ve risen to meet them or how you’ve altered course and learned to stay on a path to be successful. I know that I have been thinking a lot about this as I face new challenges that have come my way recently. I know that I have the support of family and the strength in me to look ahead. I will continue to adjust my plans, overcome this setback and embrace the new journey I am taking.