Don’t Do More, Trust more.
When I think of trust, I think of concepts. Testable, measurable predictions that are repeatable, reliable and accurate. When I think of trust, I hardly ever think of people.
But lately, this has changed.
I’ve been thrown into a world that revolves around trust. Instead of barreling through life, head down, stubbornly married to a goal or endeavor – I’m trusting more. Instead of ignoring warning signs and continuing to push through barriers, I’m taking a deep breath and listening to those around me. I’m trusting that my body will let me know when its healed, when I’m doing too much and when it’s time to go hard. I’m trusting my drive, my motivation and my heart. Believe me, this is difficult, and it’s taken me years to have the calm, and clarity to sit back and trust. But, the more I practice, the easier trust becomes.
And, I can’t do it alone. Learning to trust myself, my intuition and my body is something that didn’t happen overnight, and certainly not on my own. My community played a huge roll in helping me uncover trust. I write about it in my book, Out and Back, in one of my favorite chapters, Trust the Process. It outlines my discovery of trust as I compare it to running.
The reason I like running, and even racing, is that you never know what lies ahead. It’s just like going into that dark room and fumbling around until you get a mental picture of the obstacles that lie in front of you. It’s about problem solving; getting to the finish line is only possible if you confront the unknown head-on.
– Out and Back
Along the way, I began to trust not only myself, but the people and relationships in my life. Trusting people whole heartedly, like my coach, my PT, friends and family. Above all else, I trusted and leaned on the community of endurance athletes throughout this non-linear journey through life.
The funny thing is, by trusting more, its lead to more discovery, more growth, learning and rich experiences. Trusting more, gives me the courage to try new sports, to go on adventures (or in this case road trips), and to expand my community.
My point is this: don’t do more, trust more. It’s the one thing that truly helps me to get out of my own way.
