Action Breeds Feeling

So often I would say to myself, “When I _______________, then I’ll do _______________ .
When I feel better, then I’ll get out and meet people.
When I weigh x then I’ll be happy.
When I have more confidence, then I will try that new thing.

What I have discovered though is that the opposite is true.

I gain confidence as a RESULT of trying something new. Action breeds the feeling, not the other way around.

So – while I’m put out of my comfort zone and no longer have my battle buddy to do it with me – I’m signing up for my first triathlon. This is something the old me wouldn’t have had the courage to do. And I would have used the deployment and/or the kids as an excuse. And dang it! Ever since I saw a fellow bootcamper’s triathlon window sticker I’ve been DYING to earn one of my own! (Yes, I do these events purely for the t-shirt/bragging rights! 😉

I’ve scheduled my ACSM certified personal training exam. I’m nervous – but not incapacitated. But how awesome is it to go after something you really REALLY want and achieve it!? And how incredible is it going to be to help even just one other person to feel the way I do now!? Indescribable.

So often we stand on the sidelines of our own lives instead of really living in the moment. Happiness, transformation, and confidence are not some distant future destinations. They are present activities. It is in the doing, the living, the striving toward a goal that I find I am the most content, the most confident and the most transformed.

I never want to feel like I’ve “arrived”. I like to strive. Even if at times that takes me out of my comfort zone.