Doing it for Yourself

posted 28th September 2009    Written by: Robyn    CATEGORY: All Posts, Events, Quarterlife Crisis, Robyn, Season 1

Chicago TriI spent last Sunday morning watching the 2009 Chicago Triathlon.  My best friend, Julie, was cheering on her boyfriend, and I decided to tag along since I have always been interested in participating in the race.

Each year registration comes and goes, and I either make an excuse or push it to the back of my mind until it is too late.

Julie and I stood at the finish line, waiting for Brian to run by for nearly an hour.  We saw hundreds of people finish—all exhausted and completely thrilled with themselves and what they had just accomplished.  We watched with amazement as Brian crossed the finish line, and we pushed through crowds to meet him on the other side to congratulate him.

He was sweaty, exhausted… and completely glowing with life and fulfillment.

I walked away from downtown Chicago toward my condo in Lincoln Park—completely inspired. When I got home, I stretched and put on my running shoes (barely broken in since I got them for Christmas!) and went for a run.  Okay, it was a two mile run, and I had to stop in the middle to walk because I am so out of shape, but it was a start.

I think the moral of this story is to push yourself.

Don’t pass up opportunities that excite you because of your excuses. I’m busy/I’m tired/I’m out of shape/I don’t have anyone to do it with me/etc.  These are all excuses I have used to get out of lots of things—None of them legit and none of them that hold any real truth.

I am busy, but so is everyone else—busier than me most likely.  I’m not too busy to train, because I can always make time to walk to meet a friend instead of taking a cab.  I can always bike to work instead of taking the bus.  I can always go to bed earlier and wake up earlier to fit in a work out.  All these things would most definitely benefit me in the long run whether I actually ended up running the triathlon or not.

The worst of these excuses is: “I don’t have anyone to do it with me.”  Obviously it is easier to try something new and challenging with a friend so there’s that extra built-in support system to push you and motivate you and take that risk with you, but in the end, you can’t rely on someone else to always get you to where you want to be.

I think this is a lesson that was taught to me by my friend, Rich.  He wanted to travel Europe after college graduation.  He planned out the whole itinerary for his three-month journey, hoping that someone would come along.  He invited his roommates, his fraternity brothers and anyone he could think of so he wouldn’t have to go alone.  People gave him excuses or delayed their answer until it was too late for Rich to even book the flight he wanted.

He left a month later on his own and had the time of his life.  He ended up getting a work visa in London, finding a job as a bartender, and living abroad for six months, having the time of his life.  He met lifelong friends.  He sucked in the whole experience.  He realized he had put the trip on hold for nothing. If he had waited around for someone else to finally commit to traveling with him, he would have been relying on someone else to call his shots, I doubt he would have ever gotten to do what he really wanted to do.

I have an entire year ahead of me to prepare for next summer’s triathlon.

Of course, I’ll asked my friends if they want to join me and train with me, but in the end…it’s what I want, and I’m going to do it and take on the challenge myself either way.

robyn-bio1

photo credit: heyerin

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Comments (2)

2 Responses to “Doing it for Yourself”

  • Heather Rae Says:
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:02 am

    I’m so excited for you! As a gift to myself for turning 30, I trained for and finished the Los Angeles Marathon. It was an experience of a lifetime. I learned from that experience – I can do absolutely anything I set my mind to, no matter how difficult. It’s a beautiful feeling!

  • Sage Says:
    September 28th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    I like the last part the best: “it’s what I want, and I’m going to do it”. People should really try to live by this more often

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