All I Have is My Feet

 "When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty trust Him fully because two can happen: either He will catch you when you fall or He will teach you to fly. ” - Unknown

You will continuously hear me say that I started running by default, which means that running was all that I had to initiate my weight loss journey. While I was “comfortably” overweight, my health made me realize that I needed to make changes in my eating habits and exercise routine. I had an old bike I had purchased from a pawn shop a while back that I really enjoyed riding. I would ride this bike along beautiful serene bike trails close to my house for both exercise and relaxation. Before I started running, this was my intimate God time; the time where He would speak to me through nature and circumstance to inspire me before I started my day. Unfortunately, because God and I would spend so much time together on these rides, my bike broke and the repair would be costly. Since it was an older bike, the best option was to purchase a new one, and unfortunately, that was not an option nor in the budget at that time. Prior to bike riding, I had recently run but only on a treadmill that I "conveniently" no longer had access to. In the past, it seemed as though once I had started gaining momentum on the road to becoming my best self, the enemy would always find a way to disrupt my progress and I would get discouraged and never start up again. However, this time was different. I was determined to change while I had the momentum and I had to find a way to make it happen. After I had taken inventory of what I didn’t have, I realized that all I had left was my feet and all that there was left for me to do was run.

 

I must admit, my first day running was a disaster. I had tried to delay it for as long as could but I put on what I thought was “jogging attire,” took my feet and stuffed them into some old sneakers, and began my journey. I didn’t have the luxury of waiting until I had the right shoes, clothes, accessories, or even the perfect weather, the right circumstances, or the perfect body for that matter. So I took the most important equipment that I had in my possession which were my feet, and started there.

 

So many people strive to be perfect before they start anything and delay progression striving for that perfection. We say to ourselves, "as soon as I get my life right, I will start going back to church," or "as soon as the holidays are over and things calm down, I will start eating better and saving money," or, "as soon as my child goes off to college I will go back to school," or even, "as soon as I find some free time, I will start the business." We tell ourselves these things in fear of not having enough or feeling like we're not at a sufficient level as our counterpart which prevents us from starting or achieving anything. This kind of perfection will never be achieved and our "idea" of perfection can not be obtained unless we start somewhere and allow ourselves to learn along the way. Waiting on perfection is a form of “Analysis Paralysis,” which is when you spend so much time trying to prepare BEFORE you do a thing, that you NEVER do anything. Perfection is an illusion that will keep you from trying, and those who strive for it, their goals will only live in their dreams.

 

A few years back, I fought my own case of "Analysis Paralysis." Not only did it delay my run, but when God told me to start this blog and also step away from being an employee to becoming an employer, it delayed that as well. My case of Analysis Paralysis told God, "Sure! Absolutely, I will get started as soon as you bless me with some free time and the money to make it happen." Unfortunately, the money never came and free time doesn't exist nor is it free; it comes at a cost that requires a down payment called "sacrifice," which I had to pay upfront! The bible says in Luke 6:38, "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down and shaken together to make room for more, running over and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." If you use the little that you have right now and turn that over to God, He will multiply it and make it more than enough.

When we focus on the things that we don’t have, we disqualify ourselves immediately and as a result, have nothing more than what we've always had. We think to ourselves, “Although I have an idea for a business I don’t have the money,” or “although I have been with the company for years and I want the promotion, I don’t think I have the skills,” or “I know God has given me a vision but I come from poverty and I don’t have the resources or the support to make it happen.”  Offer to God what you have and He will take that and multiply it beyond measure. He will bring the right people, resources, finances, and opportunities your way if we just give Him what we have. The bible says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” For me, my problem wasn't my capability to do it, it was the fear of the risk that was involved in being obedient to step out and do it. I wasn't sure I was prepared for that, knowing that being obedient came with a price, a price that I wasn't yet prepared to pay.

As it pertains to running, yes, it is important to have the right running shoes and attire, just as pertaining to life it is important to also prepare ourselves in advance for business or the next stage in our lives, but what is most important is focusing on what you have in your possession right now to get started. In the bible, when Moses and the Israelites were trapped by the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his army right behind ready to attack, Moses cried out to God for help and God asked him (Exodus 4), "What do you have in your hand." In other words, what do you have right now that God can work with? What do you have so small that God can increase beyond measure and use for my glory? The bible says in Ephesians 3:20, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." If we give God our YES and our willingness to trust Him with the rest, He will do more than we could've ever dreamed of doing on our own. There is a saying, “Whatever you are not, God is.”  So, if you aren't sufficient financially, God is. If you aren't resourceful, God is. If you aren't brave enough, God is. Even if you aren't confident in yourself, God is! If we could do it all ourselves, we wouldn’t need faith and we definitely wouldn’t need God, however, He wants to be our sufficiency, our provider, and our Source for all things! He wants to be included in the details and a part of everything that concerns us! Psalms 138:8 says "The Lord will perfect that which concerns me," and Jeremiah 29:11 concludes by saying, "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. "They are plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."

There were so many times that I delayed my run because I focused too much on wanting to be perfect before starting as well as focusing on the fear of failing because I wasn't perfect. I remember telling myself before I got into running that I have to lose weight so I could look slim and trim like the other runners. The problem was, I wanted to LOOK athletic before I became an athlete. What I failed to realize was that the runners that I perceived as the image of "perfection," all had to start somewhere. Although I didn’t see their full fitness journey, deep down I knew that they had made a decision to use what had to become who they desired to be.

What do you have right now that you can start with? What will you do to fight against discouraging thoughts that tell you what you have isn't enough? How will you partner with God during your journey? Remember, when you partner with God, He will always multiply what you have and make it more than enough!

Running to Your Own Music

 “Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you.” - Henry David Thoreau

I was born and raised in a small city in Michigan, and if anyone has ever been raised in a small city, we know the saying, “small town, small minds” is true. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to visit and live in other parts of the country and expose myself to various people, cultures, incomes, mindsets, opportunities, and ways of life. However, when I had to move back to my childhood hometown, I knew one major challenge that I would be facing would be trying to adapt to the small town small mind mindset.

When I would visit my family over the summer, to stay consistent with my runs I would occasionally jog around the neighborhood, just as I did in my neighborhood in Georgia. During my jogs, I would get all types of stares and remarks from people that appeared had never have seen someone or experienced someone running in the area unless it was away from the police or from gunshots. I also would run at my local family church’s park and would get the feeling like maybe I should water down my workouts since it isn’t something that is common or encouraged in most impoverished neighborhoods.

There were times that I remember being hesitant to run on some days or I would think about delaying altogether until I returned back to Georgia. This was all because I was being criticized for doing something different on my journey to being my best self than was expected of me. I even had family and acquaintances give me sarcastic “encouragement” because I guess my stepping out of the box and making better choices challenged them to re-evaluate themselves. And by me taping into my best self made them uncomfortable because I was showing them a change that they thought they were content not making. As discouraging and hurtful as some of those comments were, I knew that outside of this environment I was changing for the better and I couldn’t allow the strongholds of this temporary environment to change me. I would think to myself, “I am only in Michigan for a short time and will be back in Georgia where this kind of action is nurtured and encouraged.”  So I pushed on and continued knowing that if I ever wanted things around me to change, I had to first be the change others see.

If we are not careful, we will become what we listen to and give our attention to. The conversations that we expose ourselves to shape who we become and are pivotal to the outcomes of who our future selves will be. While living in Georgia for over 10 years and in Minnesota for 5 years, I had been exposed to another level of thinking that was abundant and well-rounded. I had experienced the benefits of a better mindset and continued to submerge myself even more. So of course, my outlook on life would appear distorted and tainted to those who were used to living their life on pause and have not been exposed to greater. In the book, The Miseducation of a Negro, Dr. Carter G. Woodson said, “If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself.”

There are various types of people who come into your life. Some are anchors who hold you back and some are sails who help push you forward. I heard someone say, “In life, attempt to attain more sails because they will push you forward while acquiring more anchors will only hold you in place.” If you have anchors in your life, they are not intentionally attempting to be negative or to be perceived as negative people, they are just content with where they are and want to hold you back in their “Valley of Contentment” with them. That is where the power of the WHY comes in to help redirect your focus towards everything that you are working so hard to become.

Radio host and author, Charlamagne Tha God said on his show, The Breakfast Club, “People don’t need you to be rich to rob you. They just need you to have more than they have.” For someone to see you advancing and changing the narrative of your life, the life of your family, or even your community can spark envy, jealousy, and hate. It is the life that they wish they had but their fear will never allow them to attain it. Because of this, they will rob you of your motivation, ambition, and momentum just to keep you where they are so they don’t have to do the work to improve themselves. The bible says in Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” If you are trying to maintain your focus and working hard to become someone different than what your environment allows, it is important to have a group of sails to help move you forward. They will blow encouraging winds your way to give you the forward momentum that you will need to keep going. Ween out the anchors in your life as best as you can. It will help reduce distracting recordings playing in your mind as you become a better you! Blogger, Kelly Campana said, “The most expensive thing that you can do is pay attention to the wrong people.” Don't let the wrong people rob you of your dreams!

While running in Georgia and living in that “sailed” environment, I realize now that God was using my time in isolation to build my courage, confidence, and strength along with discipline, momentum, and motivation. So when the time came for me to move back to my small town, I had enough “run” inside me that pushed me to continue in my “WHY.” Now it doesn't matter the environment or the circumstance I am put in, I am totally sold to my WHY, and find ways to make things happen for me along the way. The bible says in Hebrews 13:21 NLT, “May He equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.” Now that I am been back living in my hometown, I am realizing all that life has trained me for is embedded deeply in me, so it is not an option to adapt and settle to become something lesser than what God created me to be. I am a runner and a go-getter; a boss in her own right! I have decided that it is okay to be different, to keep running to my own music, and to be the one that is walking backward while everyone is walking forward. Blending in hides you in the crowd, being different shows the world who you really are. Albert Einstein said it better, “The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find themselves in a place no one has seen before.”  

As you run towards your dreams and your goals, make sure to create a supportive environment full of “sails” that are on the sidelines cheering you on and helping you to become the best version of yourself. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with others who believe in you. If you do this, you can create the life that you always desired. 

What have you allowed others to tune your mind to? Have you given others the power to change your channel? What are some things that you can do to get your mind back thinking in the right direction? Check out this clip below for more encouragement!