Eye on the Ball

I love this statement.. What doesn't kill me makes me awesome instead. Yes, there is nothing like coming out on the other side of a struggle to find yourself stronger, more ready to face the curve balls that life throws at you.

Take for instance my Ironman experience. Haha, you knew that one was coming. When I signed up to do Ironman Louisville last January, I really wasn't sure I'd be able to complete this journey. I had only completed a handful of sprint triathlons and suddenly I thought I could be an Ironman?? It seemed a little out of reach.

I sat down with my friend, Gene, aka The Legend, and we discussed the odds of me completing the Ironman based on my sprint times. I  know, it's like comparing a tomato to an apple, but luckily Gene is a glass half full kind of person. Our talk gave me the confidence to hit the submit button. Luckily, Based on my sprint times, we concluded I would likely be able to complete the Ironman. The key would be training. After knowing Gene  for about 5 years, he still hadn't seen the determined side of me. The part of me which would not let me fail in this endeavor. I had a goal to finish my Ironman by midnight and I knew I'd do whatever it took to succeed.

There were times when I really thought training for the Ironman would kill me, but luckily my determination won out and I crossed that line with my arms raised and the biggest smile on my face. So what happened then?

My confidence grew - exponentially. The number one question I got before and even after my race day was "Why? Why would anyone want to do that?". My answer was always the same.

Because if I can do an Ironman, I can do anything. 

And yes, completing an Ironman is a life changing event. It can be a long, strenuous, stressful training period, but really it was about having a huge goal in front of me and having the faith in myself that I could meet the challenge. I met the challenge. I overcame the obstacles and my confidence continues to grow every single day.

I posted on Facebook today: "I. NEED. TO. RUN.....A LOT."  All of my Facebook friends know what that means. It's thinking time. Time for some self-evaluation. Time for reflection. Time to let go of stress and just enjoy being on the road. A friend responded and said someone told her last night at the Community Pep Rally, "If only I could look like Carla." Wow. First off, thanks. Second, why can't you? Why can't you do what I did? My response was, "But I would tell that person they could. They just need to keep their eyes on the ball and hit their goals."

Isn't that what it's all about? Setting goals. Evaluating your successes, or possibly your failures, and then resetting those goals again. If your goal is to lose weight, set your goals. Create an action plan and get moving. Make the changes necessary to meet those goals.

And then reset your goal once again...and watch your confidence blossom. It could change your life.