I remember that hill. I remember that feeling. I remember the promises that I made.
I promised to lead every member of my team. I promised to be there for them. Little did I know that I would be burying my Dad days before the event. It would have been very easy for me to pass and my reasons would have been justified - as burying my father was the hardest thing I have lived through up until that point of my life. I am my fathers daughter and his driving force led me to lead my team. It was really hard but just because it was hard didn't mean I couldn't do it. I made a promise and that is not something I take lightly.
This event meant something to every single person that was there whether it was on a team, as a volunteer, vendor, musical performer or in the crowd cheering us on. It was sunny and it was incredibly hot.
We originally signed up for this event 6 months in advance. We had members of our gym family involved but we also added friends or relatives who wanted to participate. Did you read that last word..."Participate"... You see, I was looking for people who wanted to participate at any capacity, not the typical "race mentality" or "athlete mentality" people. Everyone at any capacity was a welcome member to our team. There was no pre-requisite required.
You see for me, I happen to love all things related to fitness, but it's really not the norm. An event like this can be intimidating and can bring about fear and an uneasiness. These events bring in a lot of people of all capacities and there's also lots of media that usually surrounds these events. It can be too much for some people.
So, I decided a different approach for my team. I asked our members if they were interested and I let them know that I would not only help them train for such an event, that I would be right beside them doing it. Every step of the way. This event was about me being there for the members of my team. To help them get through the obstacles of the event as a team but also as an individual. But you know it ran a lot deeper than that right? These weren't just obstacles related to the event - these would prove to be obstacles related to life. Some were a little easier than others and some of them were far more challenging.
I had to have lots of conversations that day to every member of my team about keeping their promises to themselves. The easy obstacles didn't really need much pushing from me, just a little nudge or some motivating phrases. But the hard obstacles - that needed a lot more grit and perseverance. Sometimes it meant me going first and other times it meant me doing it multiple times to help a team member get through it. If I needed to hold your hand or crawl beside you in the mud - you can bet that I did it. It took a lot of coaxing in some instances and I focused just on that member who needed it most. Our team was pretty amazing though - they could see when someone needed an extra boost and they would step in and help in a moments notice. They didn't just help our team - they/we helped anyone who needed it. I remember how proud I was to see my Warriors take that lead and reach out to help others.
We are almost half way through the year and this is one for the books for sure. I can't wait to see what the history books say about what we have been living through since March of 2020. But apart from that, I have some questions for you. Are you keeping your promises to yourself? I know that these aren't the best of times. So if you are still using this as an excuse, I really can't help you. You see, the world is still going on, whether you decide to sit there and do something about it or not. If you aren't living up to your promises I want to know why? Whats stopping you? Is it fear? Is it the current circumstances? Now our current circumstances may not give you the outcome you were looking for, but some capacity of it is still something isn't it? If you made a promise to yourself in January and you didn't stick to it, why don't you try again? You see, as long as you are willing to try that will be enough to start. In time you will get better. But sitting there and not trying gets you absolutely no where. It keeps you stuck. It keeps you stagnant. I know this situation has us stuck mentally, physically and emotionally and I know that its not easy - but I do know that you are worth the effort.
This picture of me is on top of a hill and we were helping others up the hardest obstacle. We were helping them keep their promises to themselves. We got all our members up that hill. Every last one. No matter how long it took. We cheered on the participants that were doing it with ease and for time and we were cheering on everyone else too. We had to muster up a whole bunch of powerful words to get some of them to keep trying. We had one member who fell numerous times and was defeated and wanted to quit. I refused to let her. There was no way I was going to let her break her promise to herself. It took a lot of effort, time , will and determination, I had to get members of my team to hold on to my legs while I hung down the hill to reach for her hand - and guess what - that combined effort helped her up that hill. We didn't leave a soul behind. Thats what warriors do. We stand behind our promises.
So, I ask you again, are you keeping the promises you made to yourself? Are you letting the voice of compromise win?
I'm reminded daily of how precious life is, like you. There has been a lot of sadness and tragedy in this last year. I'm here to remind you to keep your promises to yourself, because you are worth it. I'm here to remind you that you matter and those promises matter. Though it may not always be easy, it will always be worth it. You are worth keeping your promises.
So Warrior Up. Do what you said you were going to do. It's time.
Different Breed.