I’ve faced these stairs many times.
Standing at the bottom looking up was so intimidating that I stopped looking at the top and just focused on the next step.
When I found myself standing on the top step, I gave myself a moment to recover, rewarding myself with the mind blowing view and the fresh, clean air.
Then I took a deep breathe, and on my journey back down the stairs I prepared my mind and acidified leg muscles for the upcoming ascend.
When I first tackled these ECU stadium stairs, I barely made it to the top. I arrived literally gasping for air, feeling suffocated. Although I’d arrived at the top, the way I felt, was a harsh reminder that I lacked stamina. I found myself standing at the top of the stadium, not focusing on the view, not celebrated my demonstration of endurance or the WIN. I stood on this mountain top translating each gasp as weakness and defeat.
So what did I do?
❇️I STOPPED looking at my children racing up those stairs as if they were running on flat land.
❇️I HONORED and shared my feelings of defeat with a trusted accountability partner (climbing alongside of me) who gracefully checked me.
❇️I DECIDED to climb every stairwell I saw, everywhere I went.
I didn’t hide from or avoid the stairs, I returned and climbed AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN! Until yesterday, I reached the top of the stairs and as my legs went numb, I looked up, admired the beautiful scenery and realized, THIS TIME, I AM NOT GASPING FOR AIR! I inhaled all of that fresh air and smiled all the way back to the base of the stairs!
❓What do you need to stop looking at?
❓Who are you accountable to/safe with?
❓What decision will you make to reach that top step?
Sometimes you can’t focus on the top stair. In these moments you stand at the bottom and figure out how to tackle the NEXT step, then the next. Before you know it, you’ll be standing on the top step victoriously, breathing just fine!
💞Gwen
MISFIT2MAJORFIT.COM
Gwendolyn J. Jones 