Keep. Going.

Yesterday I did a tread bootcamp with Peloton - It’s basically running and jogging on the treadmill followed by trying to muster up the ability to lift some amount of weights before promptly wondering why you ever hit the start button.

A few minutes into jogging, the nice lady that tells me what to do on the tv said that at this point you might be feeling a burning sensation in your lungs - and that is normal and okay, and you just have to push through that feeling until it is not that way. WHAT! Okay first of all, I literally always thought that burning sensation was a sign that I should not run, like ever again. I should stop or slow down or call for help, or at the bare minimum I should shame myself for at least five minutes the fact that my lungs don’t even like to move beyond walking.

But here this athletic spunky lady is telling me it is NORMAL and that I should take it as a sign to keep going. She is even indicating that she too has burn-y lungs!!!

So what I’m thinking is that if it feels difficult, if you wonder if it is for you or worth it, you may just need to push past it to get to the other side. Not always, not everyday, but struggle does not in itself indicate that you should give up or move on or sit still.

Difficulty does not mean you should stop, that you are bad at it, or that you can’t help people in and through your own difficulty. It makes you HUMAN that you don’t wake up everyday and glide through the day effortlessly. It makes you HUMAN that sometimes you want to give up and do something easier and quit.

I’m just here today to tell you that I’ve been there, and I think there’s something else on the other side for you. If you feel called, if you feel passionate, if you feel a desire to move towards something and you end up with doubt or difficulty, do not take it at face value as a sign to throw in the towel.

It might just be a sign to tighten your shoe laces and keep running. You might end up with an ‘after’ story, able to encourage people that don’t want to get started or are struggling in the process.

I’m cheering you on! Raising my hand today that my lungs are burning ✋🏼 and if yours are too, we’re in it together.