Don’t Quit

The Olympics has me firing on all cylinders, but decidedly not in an athletic way ;)

It's not for lack of effort, but the athletic genes are slim around here, but I can assure you- I tried! But there is something so incredibly inspiring about athletes. It has me really inspired and contemplative about what it takes to fulfill your dreams. If you haven't watched the Simone Biles doc on Netflix, I highly recommend it. Her story is something I've taken a lot of inspiration from lately when thinking about where I stand against my own dreams. During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Simone made a really difficult and brave choice. She took herself out of the game. She was mentally struggling, and it was physically showing in her performance. She knew something wasn't right. And before she pushed herself to the point of injury (something that was commonly encouraged in athletes to get the medal), she dropped out. The amount of scrutiny she received was immeasurable. People called her selfish, said that she wasn't a teammate, and I'm sure far worst. So not only did she have to manage her emotions around a very difficult decision, but she had to hear what everyone else thought about it. I won't spoil the whole documentary, but essentially Simone realized she wasn't finished with her career in gymnastics, and that she would return to the Olympics. But based on some of the struggles she had, she in many ways had to start over with her training. Talk about a setback. But she knew in her heart that it was her path.  

It got me thinking about what the path of your dream can look like. It's so unique for each person, yet it's so easy to compare your path to someone else's. And if your path doesn't look the same, or seem as "impressive," we may doubt it's worthiness in embarking. Sometimes we look at the landscape and before we've even entered the ring, we take ourselves out. If you're an overthinker (raises hand), it's really easy to talk yourself out of something before you even start. We think that it's easier not to risk it, but I've figured out that it's the complete opposite. We risk so much more by not trying. I can promise you that if something is on your heart and soul to do, it's meant for you. There's a reason you're supposed to do it. Don't overanalyze it. Maybe it doesn't make sense. Let's say for example that I had it on my heart to be an Olympic figure skater. Does that make any sense? Absolutely not. But if I felt deeply that I needed to do it, I'd be confident there was a reason. Sometimes it's not the reason you think. Hear me out. Maybe I'm meant to have that on my heart so that I take skating lessons. Maybe the skating lessons lead to me meeting someone I am supposed to meet, who puts me on a different path. Or maybe I just needed to meet that person for some other reason, and the skating lessons were the way I got to that point. You with me? We don't have to know how it's going to end. We just have to start. It's not a failure if it doesn't end in a way that would have made perfect sense. All it has to do is lead us on a path we're supposed to be on. We have to trust the process.

Let's think of it another way. It doesn't even have to be as big as following your dreams. Let's make it simpler like accomplishing a goal we have. Let's say I want to lose weight. Let's say I start, and determine that the process isn't going as quickly as I'd like. I can either trust the process and stay the path of eating healthy and exercising, and trust that I'm better off and will eventually get to my goal. Or I can quit. The risk is greater of not trying. If I don't try or I quit, not only will I decidedly not reach my goal, I could go backwards. I could gain weight and be further than where I started.

What's required is trusting ourselves, and trusting that nudge. That voice inside us that tells us what's meant for us. We also need to resist the urge to look at our past to determine how we think our future is going to go. If Simone spent her time focusing on the 2020 Olympics, it would be easy for her to quit before even trying again for 2024. She could look at the past and deem that she was bound to fail. Or at least be so fearful of the idea that it could happen, that she would resist even trying. Sure, there are always lessons to be gleaned by looking back and assessing where things went wrong and what can be done differently. Just don't let it take the wind out of your sails. We are ever evolving. Simone isn't the same person in 2024 that she was in 2020. I'm not the same person I was yesterday. Neither are you. And we can constantly change the way we look at things, the way we approach things, etc.

Our society often glamorizes those who become an instant success, or who appear that way. And it is inspiring when we can see those types of stories. But I believe that's about 1% of the population. I think most people spend a lot of time working towards their dreams that none of us see. It's the behind the scenes, non glamourous grind. It's not as interesting from the outside for us to look at, so it doesn't get shown. We love a good highlight reel. But I think it sometimes makes us believe that if we're struggling, if we're going through ebbs and flows, if we're trying and failing, that we've got it wrong. When in fact, it's just part of the process everyone goes through. It's the journey that makes the end result that much sweeter. We actually need the contrast of the lows to appreciate the highs. If you listen to stories of successful CEOs of the major businesses we know and love, most went through a whole lot of failures before they got to where they are. But all we focus on is how amazing and accomplished they are now. What if they quit at the sign of struggle?

In my own life as I reflect on some of the highest points, they usually came when I least expected it. When I kept on grinding along, not expecting a breakthrough. It wasn’t when I was hyper fixating on a specific goal and obsessing over it. You know, when you’re obsessively checking your email and phone for a message that what you’ve been hoping for has arrived. No. Not then. The highs came when I just stuck with it, and released. Trusted. Had faith. Kept going. And often the highs that would come in were things I couldn’t have dreamed up myself if I tried. And that’s the faith I cling to now as I build Living Merrily. I trust that it’ll bring me exactly where I’m meant to be.

Don't give up on your goals and dreams before you even get started. Don't live in your head. And if you do start, don't get discouraged if you get re-routed, or if you get tested. The risk is greater if you do nothing. You'll have this goal or dream weighing on you for the rest of your life. That's a far greater risk than just trying, I promise. All you have to do is get started. Baby steps.

xo