You’re not ready

In February 2010 I delivered my third – and final – baby via C-section.

Four months prior to that I had seen my husband train, run, and finish his first marathon.

It left me inspired and wanting to also do some kind of big race. Something that felt way out of my comfort zone.

I had done 5K’s before and had run 3 mile races in high school. But it had been at least a decade since I had run anything more than a few steps to catch up to a toddler. And truthfully, I kind of missed the challenge.

Our daughter was born February 1st. And February 2nd, while still sitting in a hospital bed recovering from major surgery, I signed up to run a half marathon.

Believe it or not, I wasn’t ready. In fact, I was far from it.

Recovering from major surgery, it would be 8 weeks before I was even cleared to do more than walk and lift 10 lbs.

The day the doctor gave me the go-ahead, I went out for that first “run.” I barely made it a quarter of a mile. My heart was racing and I could hardly breathe. The stitch in my side caused me to stop, hands on my knees, trying to recover.

As I walked down the sidewalk the thought constantly running through my head was, “What have I signed up for?!”

I had committed to running a 13.1 mile race in 6 months and I was so far from being ready.

Running 13.1 miles doesn’t just happen. It takes time, planning, and a lot of positive self talk. But it also begins with the choice to start.

That following October, when the gun went off and the crowd of runners surged forward, I felt as ready as I could be. I had trained and planned as best as an amateur could do.

But the big kicker to why I was ready? 

Because I had committed to it BEFORE I was ready. I chose to start.

A lot in life never gets done because we keep waiting until “we are ready.”  Something looks kind of difficult or we know it’s going to make us uncomfortable. We may be afraid that we are going to fail, so we put it off for another day – until we’re ready.

But, if you put off these things until you are ready-  

You. Never. Will. Be.

Even the healthiest among us still have things that they’ve been thinking that they need to change.  For each of us, let’s ask the question, “What am I putting off because I don’t think I am ready?”  

What can we choose to change, or start, or stop this week that we can commit to, even if we don’t think we are ready to do it?

It doesn’t have to be physical – though it certainly can be! Maybe it’s committing to meal planning so you get those veggies in your diet (not as bad as you think). Maybe you’ve been contemplating taking a social media break (highly recommended!). Or you’ve been talking about quitting the Hulu-watching-binge and go to bed earlier (worth it).

Living a healthy emotional, physical, and spiritual life doesn’t just happen. You need to be intentional about it. This week let’s choose to be intentional with taking that first step towards health, whether we feel we are ready or not.

Cheering for you, friend.

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