Two people told me recently that they really want to start skiing, but they can’t. Not yet. They’re not ready to start. Not because they’re missing a limb. Not because they don’t have the money.

They’re simply waiting to start because they think they weigh too much. They’re waiting to start until they lose some weight. They think the weight will cause them to get exhausted. They’re worried they’ll have to call “uncle” and head in early.

They’re scared their weight might cause their knees to hurt. The truth is, these aren’t good reasons not to start something. You will get tired. You might have to quit early. You might fail. There’s a risk that you will hurt yourself.

It doesn’t matter how much you weigh. Skinny people get tired. Professional athletes get hurt. People quit early every day. That is life.

Here’s what I say. Stop waiting. Go skiing. There’s nothing I believe in more than starting. In my book, it’s way more important than finishing.

And it isn’t always easy.

Before you start, you see all the obstacles in front of you. You see all the [...]]]>

Two people told me recently that they really want to start skiing, but they can’t. Not yet. They’re not ready to start.
Not because they’re missing a limb.
Not because they don’t have the money.

They’re simply waiting to start because they think they weigh too much. They’re waiting to start until they lose some weight. They think the weight will cause them to get exhausted.
They’re worried they’ll have to call “uncle” and head in early.

They’re scared their weight might cause their knees to hurt.
The truth is, these aren’t good reasons not to start something.
You will get tired. You might have to quit early. You might fail. There’s a risk that you will hurt yourself.

It doesn’t matter how much you weigh.
Skinny people get tired. Professional athletes get hurt. People quit early every day.
That is life.

Here’s what I say.
Stop waiting. Go skiing.
There’s nothing I believe in more than starting.
In my book, it’s way more important than finishing.

And it isn’t always easy.

Before you start, you see all the obstacles in front of you.
You see all the possible barriers and potential failures.
All the reasons not to try.
Before you start you lack momentum.
You lack the early wins and inspired feelings that can keep you going when going gets hard.
You lack experience and confidence.

But starting is where the magic is.
It’s where the dream is fresh.
It’s where the vision is unscathed.
It’s where you get the joy of discovering you can.
There are no risk-free days.
But when you live life avoiding risks, you also avoid pleasure.

You don’t experience the exhilaration of the single run because you’re afraid you might not make it for the full day. Afraid you might look like a wuss.
Afraid people will judge you.
And they will.
But you’re already doing it to yourself.
When you choose not to go out and do what you love because you fear what might happen, you are judging yourself to be weak.
And you’re not.

You can handle whatever happens.
You can manage the pain. You can face the disappointment.
You are strong.
I asked one of my friends what she would do in a hypothetical world where she could never lose the weight.
If she had to accept her current body. As it is today. No possibility of changing it. Would she give up on skiing forever?
She said no.
She’d go out there and ski anyway. Face those fears. Head on.

Well, life is short.
You might not lose the weight.
You might not save enough money to quit your day job.
You might not meet the man of your dreams.
You might not be able to have kids.

Stop waiting.
Accept your reality. Today.
It’s here.
It can’t stop you from starting your dreams.

Unless you choose to let it.
Life’s too short. You are too valuable. You dreams are too powerful.
So tell your fears to kiss your ass.
Go out and cross the starting line, regardless of what you weigh.
Don’t worry about the finish until you get there.

Just start.

Christy Lambert is the founder of Inspired Running, an online community of beginning runners & walkers. She is passionate about helping people reach their fitness & life goals using inspiration to pave the way. 

Photo credit: Anne

What if you could have your life look the way you want it to…? No, exactly the way you want it to: not just the things you have, but right down to the way that you are. What if we all thought this way?

As a new and first time mom, I have had plenty to learn in the past few months as well as plenty for which to give thanks. This “designing your life” business is what I have had the privilege to teach over the past two decades. If I didn’t know what I have learned about designing my life, I would most likely… yell at my husband for not helping enough, quietly grumble to myself instead of chatting with him and my newborn, work in an office like my mother did and rob Peter to pay Paul on a regular basis. These are all my default ways of being and doing, to which I would readily revert had I not the tools to act differently.

If you had [...]]]>
By Johanna Sawalha

What if you could have your life look the way you want it to…? No, exactly the way you want it to: not just the things you have, but right down to the way that you are. What if we all thought this way?

As a new and first time mom, I have had plenty to learn in the past few months as well as plenty for which to give thanks. This “designing your life” business is what I have had the privilege to teach over the past two decades. If I didn’t know what I have learned about designing my life, I would most likely… yell at my husband for not helping enough, quietly grumble to myself instead of chatting with him and my newborn, work in an office like my mother did and rob Peter to pay Paul on a regular basis. These are all my default ways of being and doing, to which I would readily revert had I not the tools to act differently.

If you had suggested this idea to me years ago, I probably would have bitten your head off! Humility did not come with my package, no matter how wacky of a design I had given my life. I would probably also not feel right about having a nanny if I were home, like it would be too lavish and luxurious or something. However, now that is how I have intentionally designed it. I designed things the way I wanted, which means I work (from home) on my passion of having people achieve their dreams; and I have a nanny when necessary! I want it all, and I want the same for everyone. Still, I have just used one example of work/life balance. There are many more ways to design your life!

We believe the more you address each and every area of your life, the happier you become. To be deeply happy is to have each area of your life make you proud. We have found there is often a lack of deliberate design in most people’s lives. Generally, people find a way to adapt to any situation or circumstance, and become stuck in their explanations and excuses for why their life is the way it is. Over time, we start to believe our own explanations, and it becomes more and more difficult to believe something else is possible since we are so accustomed to the status quo. Piece by piece, you can actually design your life and address your fears, thoughts, and deepest beliefs. It takes some thinking, creating, inventing and dreaming. Still, just to consider designing your life can move you to action and lead you toward the life of your ideals, once and for all.

Five Ways to Start Designing Your Life Today:

1. Dream of how you want it to be.
Dreaming is an active practice that should be separated from your strategies and action plans in life. Mostly people don’t make this separation, and they think that everything they dream about requires being put into practice. Not so. The practice of dreaming in and of itself sustains your vision for your life and should happen daily.

2. Track your excuses.
“Because, because, because…!” Can you hear your excuses talking to you? If you don’t, they probably pass you right by like they do most of us. Practice hearing and tracking your excuses, and better yet, refute them. They are telling you to blow off the things that in the end will make you happy and proud; instead, do the exact opposite!

3. Account for what you are doing.
Believe it or not, much of your ability to be accountable has everything to do with time management. The more you address how you spend your time, the more accountable you can become. Declare what you are going to do today. At the end of the day, account for whether it was accomplished or not. Stay away from judging “done” as “good” and “undone” as “bad.” You are simply accounting for it, which leaves you with the clarity to figure out what is missing in your planning and do better next time.

4. Purge your disappointments.
To “purge” something is to write out what is bothering, upsetting, or worrying you. Doing this will make it easier to distinguish between your personal bogeymen and the real issues to tackle and actions to take.

5. Communicate your grumblings.
Most people do not voice their gripes because they are afraid of how it might sound, and they end up not saying anything at all. Make a list of the things you are not saying. We never get artful at communicating because we don’t practice! Voicing your grumblings solves half the problem itself; thereby fixing the situation and leaving you happy and satisfied.

Johanna Sawalha has been in the personal development field for the past two decades and just recently stepped down from the Senior Vice President position at The Handel Group to care for her newborn son. She is still an executive coach and spokesperson for HG – coaches for MIT, Stanford U,  and Conde Nast.