"Suppose I am really going to become somebody – Imagine"

barefeet runninShortly after my youngest was born (about 10 years ago), I decided I should try some jogging. After all, it is effective, you can do it anywhere, it’s cheap and 30 minutes packs a real punch (calorie burning-wise). So I went for a little jog around the neighbourhood. My new neighbour saw me, greeted me and asked: “Are you a runner?” I said: “Not really, I just jog bit”. She smiled and said: “Mind if we stretch that?” I was skeptical, but accepted. We started “jogging” together. She suggested we train for a half marathon. I thought she was out of her mind. I did not think I was ever able to do that. “I can’t do that”. I was stuck in my own limiting belief that running a half marathon was for others, for “athletes”. It wasn’t until I decided that I was a “runner “ that I could don the skin of a runner.

This meant being able to say: “ I am a runner” without any hesitation and full of belief. Once I did this, I loved tackling the training program and seeing the km count increase every weekend. I even experienced a “runner’s high” a few times. I have since run 4 half marathons and a great friendship that reach more further than running.

What if it wasn’t just about running? What if we replaced “are you a runner?” with “are you a leader?” or “do you deserve it?” or “are you an entrepreneur?” or “are you a change leader?” or “Is your team a solid, effective team?” , or "do you have capable staff?" It isn’t until we believe it, until we fully stand in the reality of who we can be that we can make things happen. Once we do – we have created the shift that makes the new reality possible.

Maya Angelou in her delightful little book Letter to my daughter, said it this so eloquently after her mother told her “Baby, I have been thinking and now I am sure. You are the greatest women I’ve ever met”.  She wrote: “Suppose she is right? She is very intelligent and she often said she didn’t fear anybody enough to lie. Suppose I really am going to become somebody. Imagine. Imagine, I might really become somebody. Someday.”

What about you?

P.S. I am now a triathlete – I am finishing my first triathlon in June…

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Comments 4

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Guest - Dominic Scaffidi on Saturday, 16 April 2011 21:51

Wow a tri athlete! I didn't know that. Congratulations. I can relate to your 'runner' story. I have never been athletic nor interested in anything athletic. I started running over 6 years. It took several years before I was able to call myself a runner. It's as though one day I 'became' a runner - prior to that it's like I was running but not like 'real runners' - seems so funny to me now. But it does show you how our mind and our past beliefs limit us. I did a full marathon a couple of years ago - that certainly helped to convince me that I'm a runner ;-)

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Wow a tri athlete! I didn't know that. Congratulations. I can relate to your 'runner' story. I have never been athletic nor interested in anything athletic. I started running over 6 years. It took several years before I was able to call myself a runner. It's as though one day I 'became' a runner - prior to that it's like I was running but not like 'real runners' - seems so funny to me now. But it does show you how our mind and our past beliefs limit us. I did a full marathon a couple of years ago - that certainly helped to convince me that I'm a runner ;-)
Guest - Gary on Sunday, 17 April 2011 13:45

"– I am finishing my first triathlon in June…"
You seem to practice what you preach. Nice projection on the 'finishing' statement. Best wishes on a successful event.

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"– I am finishing my first triathlon in June…" You seem to practice what you preach. Nice projection on the 'finishing' statement. Best wishes on a successful event.
Guest - Ellen Melis on Monday, 18 April 2011 08:59

Thanks Dominic. You have always been a "runner" to me. That is how you showed up in Victoria and you even made me run those crazy hills with you.

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Thanks Dominic. You have always been a "runner" to me. That is how you showed up in Victoria and you even made me run those crazy hills with you.

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