The beauty of your journey!

I was on YouTube doing a search, when the headlining commercial caught my eye. “Falling is the only way to learn how to fly!” It is a commercial for the Olympics and, I have to say, very nicely done!  I don’t watch commercial, but something grabbed me instantly about this video.  As I watched it through, it brought happy tears to my eyes and pride for all of us that get up and persevere!

It starts out watching young babies being helped to walk and all the falling down that we all experienced when we were learning. Then you gradually see little tots being helped to skate, snowboard, and ski. …and a lot of falling, the injuries, and the PERSISTANCE.  And then it comes. From down below a hill, an Olympic skier comes FLYING up from the other side of the mountain soaring with POWER, SPEED and the story is very clear. You don’t get where you want to go without some falls, some pains, persistent and a refusal to stop!

As a coach, and a person on my own journey, I’ve come to realize that there is such beauty and magnificence in the process of getting where you want to go. When we are in pain, it seems to last forever while in that moment, minute, or year(s). I can be hard and it can hurt, but the glory of momentum, the building of your inside spirit, the realization of another step of greatness coming to the surface is so awe inspiring to me. All a person goes through is not just about the glory at the end with a reward of getting what you worked for. It is about every milestone, and every accomplishment along the way.

I talked to a musician recently who is part of a beautiful CD creation and I asked, does it make you proud to be part of that? His answer was I will be proud when it sells. Oh, that remark caught me and, I thought, what a shame. The creation IS part of the beauty and reward!  Knowing and feeling you did a great job IS part of the reward. Creating something beautiful or wonderful IS part of the feel good stuff, or at least it could be if you receive it and see it that way!  Please don’t overlook the value and reward of the process. Give yourself praise and cheers when you do something right, or take another step forward. Realize you are building just like that soaring skier that persevered and didn’t give up!

I did a presentation at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center and they put me up in their training center later that night. I got a chance to visit and hang out with the athletes while watching TV and being relaxed. I was SHOCKED to hear one of the athletes share his story and how he was on the podium with a medal. I could imagine that if that happened to me, I’d be feeling thrilled, teary and proud. He wasn’t and I thought, oh my goodness. You are missing the journey, the process AND every reward along the way. How sad for him.  It is not always about the big things that creates internal joy. It can be the little steps along the way that make you feel ALIVE, HAPPY, and GREAT!

Today, I did something that might seem little to someone else, but to me, it represented a huge step moving forward with something I’ve been working towards. It was only a seemingly little step, but I feel fabulous about it. I’ve learned not to miss the journey and the gifts it holds as you create and build your life–even when you REBUILD your life!!! …and I celebrate it!  Because the journey IS PART OF THE REWARD!  Feel proud and enjoy it, for you will never pass this way again! Share below what you are proud of and let us all be happy for you!