"Self confidence is a super power. Once you start believing in yourself, magic starts to happen."
The more I sit back and reflect on what I've acquired over the last four years, the more the riches just keep piling up. I need waaayyyy more than twelve days to list all of my acquisitions, so I've been running (of course) and thinking (as always): What are the pillars of this experience so far? What are the fundamental building blocks that are making me a better runner? That are making me a better life? Without a doubt, CONFIDENCE had to make the cut. Because I had almost none of it 4 years ago. And now, frankly, I'm full of it. CONFIDENCE, that is : )
I'm not sure exactly how the confidence came to be. I'm pretty sure that confidence is just the umbrella term, and under it falls: trusting yourself, believing in yourself, and liking yourself. I am also pretty sure that it's created through action. You can't really think your way to confidence. Well, sending yourself messages about your strength and capabilities is pretty important, but at some point, you also have to make a move. You have to take action, over and over again. You have to try and fail; try and succeed. Sometimes you succeed when you don't expect it, and you fail when you knew you had it. However it shakes out, you get back up and do it again, whatever "it" is.
I think that's what I've done with running. One foot in front of the other, day after day, until one day I put enough miles behind me that I saw a change; I felt the change. I carried myself differently. I began to think bigger thoughts for myself, and dream bigger dreams for myself. I realized I was trusting my voice more, and believing that I could do more. And I liked it. I like me.
I could never have known what I was in for when I started all of this. I could never have imagined the amount of work it was going to take, and I could never have imagined the abundant, intangible, immeasurable, priceless gifts I was going to receive in return. And I most certainly never would have guessed that weight loss would be the least of it. Like the quote says, self confidence is a super power. And I found mine through running.