It May Not Be Running

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret: Running may not be the thing for you. 

As much as I would love for everyone who reads this blog to strap on their running shoes and hit the trails for a life changing experience, I know that it's just not going to happen that way for everyone.

What I really want though, is for you to find that thing that makes you a happier, healthier, and more whole human being.  I know that running may not be that thing for you.  But, I also know that something is that thing for you and I urge you to find it.  Once you've found it, make time for it.  Do it often and make it a priority in your life.  Nurture it and it will nurture you.

 

Everyday life is tedious and exhausting and rarely does it cultivate your growth into the greater you.  Work and bills and cooking and cleaning, while absolutely necessary, aren't what we are all here for.  They are the monotony of life, which when we get totally wrapped up in them, prevent us from reaching our full potential.  They bring on the "you can'ts and the you shouldn'ts" that swirl around in our heads and prevent us from being those happy, healthy, and whole humans we want to me.  That's why it's so important to find the thing that draws you closer to your full potential.

 

For me, running and writing are the things.  Running is what I call my "inlet."  It's the thing that strips away all of the clutter in my mind and lets me really go inside of myself.  As I run, all of the junk from the outside world, which confuses us as to who we really are and what we really want slips away and gives me the freedom to see and search inside myself.  Running offers me the clarity, conviction, and confidence I need.  Writing is my outlet.  Writing is how I get all of the clarity and conviction out of my head and out into the world.  It's the action I have to take to stop myself from letting the outside world take over again.  It's the proof of the work I've done.

 

I don't know what your thing is.  It may not be found in running shoes. It may be found in a church pew, or on a yoga mat, or sitting cross-legged in meditation.  You may find your thing on a bike or in the ocean.  I don't know what your thing is, but I'm telling you, it's there and you need it and as soon as you find it, don't let go of it. 

 

Now get out there and find yourself.  I do, of course, suggest starting with a run, just in the case that running is your thing.