Faith and Foolish Notions

I spend a lot of time doing many things, like pecking away on a keyboard, listening to Taylor Swift, trying to get cuddles from my independent pup and boyfriend and lifting heavy things at the gym. But two issues that stand paramount are: 1) dwelling on my insecurities and 2) re-inflating my confidence and ego. Ironically, these two go hand-in-hand…or remind me of a dog chasing it’s tail. They just go round and round.

I realize I’ll always have something to worry about. I’ll always be stressed about some ridiculous thing. I’ll fret that someone cares about the crap I’m concerned about, but honestly no one could care less. An example of a demon that fills my nugget is my current lack of training. I’m always worried what people will think if they knew how little I was running right now. And as I write this, now everyone knows. I used to run almost every day, and for many miles. Lately, I’m psyched if I can get out for three to four days per week! I worry how this appears when I’m trying to motivate a community to embrace the outdoors, and literally get out on the trails!

You see, people are hard coded to worry, to stress, to panic. It’s actually a pretty cool safety mechanism if you think about it. Can you imagine if we had no worries, just did whatever we wanted with reckless abandon (and we think the world is in trouble now)? Because we have anxiety, it presents us with the ability to think twice or consider things from other perspectives. Ironically mini-freak outs can actually be good, as they force us to find solutions.

Anyhow, with the realization of perpetual stress comes another recognition. If there’s always to be insecurities, there will always be a demand for positive self-talk, and lots of empowering songs with great beats.

I’ve learned that one of the most important tools I can keep in my quiver, is faith. Having an unwavering belief in my ability and my strength helps me to conquer any and all insecurities every time they pop up.

Every morning I have my own personal Gina convo sesh…the voice in my head tells me how awesome I am, how I could be a professional dancer (kidding), how I’m going to crush the day, and how I have a chance to make a difference. This is my daily pump up and confidence therapy. So to combat my worry regarding lack of training, I remind myself that I’m just trading that time to focus on something bigger than me. My choice to dial back training is not permanent, and has given me time to explore new opportunities.

And just like that, the anxiety is gone and I’m stoked for what I’m doing. Sure, it’s not that easy all the time, but practice makes perfect.

For those of you battling insecurities or stressors regarding running or just every day life, I’m asking you to do some self talk each morning to inflate your ego and build confidence. Be Queen (or King) of your universe, or say whatever it is that gets you psyched, confident and propels you onto a positive path.

Learning to equip yourself against the external chatter or internal demons will help you to overcome and succeed any obstacle. You will feel more in control, self-assured and like a bonafide superstar!

Call for Comments:

Do you have any tips to get past stressors?

What’s your best pump up message?