The Most Idiotic “Aha!” Moment and an Uninspiring 5K
Lisbon Runs.
I had quite possibly the most idiotic “aha!” moment this week that I’ve ever had. But man, what a great, idiotic moment it was!
As most of you who follow me on Instagram know, I’m a big fan of running. Yes, I’m one of those people who puts on their Asics in the morning and insists on traveling aggressively down the street in spandex, instead of walking like a normal person. But in all honesty, running is my time to breathe, think, and feel like the strong and empowered woman I’m trying to stay on track to become. I just love it.
(For those of you saying, “how on earth could you love running?”, I also felt the same way 3 years ago. Miracles happen. Get some sneakers and go travel aggressively down the street. And message me for motivation, if you need it!)
Anywho, my typical workday with my new job doesn’t begin until 10am, so I’ve been making the most of the coveted, winter sunlight hours in northern Germany and starting my days with a jog through the city. And this past Friday, due to a few extra minutes of bed lingering, coffee sipping, and facetiming with Kris, I was left with limited running time, but I knew I could squeeze in a 5K.
So off my Asics and I went, down my street, over the nearby canal, and into Hamburg’s glorious, Central Park equivalent: The Stadtpark. I cut across the familiar lawn, stopped to take a picture of the orange sunlight, and made a small interior loop before looking at my watch and realizing it was time to head back home. I felt slightly disappointed as the run was nice and the fresh air was lovely, but I didn’t feel challenged. At all. It was my standard, cut-and-paste 5K run without some big endorphin high or feeling of accomplishment.
And in that moment, with my watch nearing 4K, I exited the Stadtpark to begin my way back through the city streets of Hamburg. It was then that I realized I only had one kilometer left. And in some weird, sign-from-the-universe moment, I started sprinting. Full out, blazing down the busy street, winding its way along the canals and bridges of the city that I love. I maintained this accelerated pace until my watch beeped at the 5K mark, after which I stopped, abruptly, wheezing and laughing at the silliest realization ever: I could’ve made that 5K challenging from the very beginning.
All I needed to do was shift my focus.
And run faster.
Normally, I go for distance. Yes, I know what a decent pace is for myself, but time after time I just focus on hearing the correct number of beeps on my watch to reach the distance goal I set for myself. Never have I ever focused on speed. And as I enthusiastically relayed this speed revelation to my friend Sinah (who’s on a mission to become the next Usain Bolt) yesterday, she pumped me up with so much encouragement and energy, validating that, yes, there’s no limit to the challenges and power that lie even within the measliest kilometer! All you have to do is shift your focus.
And if you’re wondering what the point of all of this running nonsense is, let me spell it out plain and simple for you. Last week, I had a bit of a crying, breakdown moment (I told you it’s not all cupcakes and unicorns!) as I sat at home overwhelmed by certain factors of my new job, watching my 1,245th Instagram story completely in German. (Yes, this is actually a part of my job.)
And after I took my time to be upset and marinate in my feelings (after the best pep talk ever from the one and only Kris Broderick. Man, it’s nice to have him back.), I poured myself a glass of wine, and sat down to hatch my game plan. And what I realized, after I clawed through the stew of shaken confidence, confused optimism, and utter insecurity that was crowding my brain, was something which is now increasingly familiar: I needed to shift my focus.
Instead of focusing on the elements of my new job that weren’t going according to my personal expectations (which were set based on practically nothing, might I add), I started to sketch out the possibilities. How can I grow? How can I learn? And how can I challenge myself in this new environment?
And let me tell ya, these answers were GOOD, y’all!
If I’m able to actively shift my energy and focus on the possibilities in front of me, I think I very well may be unstoppable in a few years’ time. And I don’t say this to gloat, because we all know it could all go to hell in a handbasket tomorrow. But I wanted to share this with all of you who might be looking at a figuratively uninspiring 5K in front of you.
That 5K holds a lot of potential. That new job holds a lot of potential. That move holds a lot of potential. Because, at the end of the day, that YOU holds a lot of potential.
Sometimes you just have to run a bit faster to catch it.