What stories have you convinced yourself are true?  And how are they limiting you?

When I belonged to the Langley Rotary Club we would host guest speakers at our weekly lunch meetings.  One noon we were visited by a local Canadian Olympian, an equestrian athlete who shared with us her tales of woe.  She explained to us that unlike the equestrian athletes of many other countries, Canadian equestrian athletes do not receive financial support from our government requiring her to work full time to support herself, detracting from her training hours.  Even worse, because so many qualifying events are held in Europe she was at an additional disadvantage.  Unable to transport her horse overseas, she was required to compete on unfamiliar European horses whereas her European competitors enjoyed the advantage of riding horses with whom they trained daily.  She bemoaned the injustice of this uneven playing field that made it close to impossible for Canadian riders to compete at the top levels.

It was a compelling argument until we were visited the following week by a young lady in a wheelchair.  A paraplegic after a horse jumping accident, she continued to compete in horse jumping.  Though she clearly qualified for the paralympics, she chose to represent Canada jumping horses against able-bodied competitors because she found that despite her injury, she was still competitive.  She beamed as she told us that her employer, RBC, was very flexible with her schedule allowing her time away to travel and compete in pursuit of her Olympic dream.  She was very upbeat, grateful and optimistic.  But informed as we were by our previous speaker, we raised the question of being forced to adapt to riding unfamiliar horses when she competed overseas.  She shrugged dismissively, admitting that while this could prove potentially challenging, she made a point of arriving a few days early to get familiar with her horse. 

What a contrast, these two speakers!  The able-bodied rider was a victim of unfair circumstances while the woman in the wheelchair loved her life, loved her sport and believed that she could succeed despite the odds.  It was a powerful lesson. 

A woman I know recently complained that she felt persecuted by her landlords and neighbours on account of her religion.  I could not help but laugh when I heard the complaint because, unbeknownst to her, the landlords and her neighbour are of the same religion as she.  Can you imagine, she is walking through her life carrying the burden of imagined religious persecution?  What a tough way to live!

Next time you tell yourself a story or harbour a limiting belief, take a moment to recognize that it is nothing but a construct that you have fabricated and may have nothing at all to do with reality.  Somewhere, someone with all the disadvantages that you imagine and more is overcoming the same challenges without complaint.  At the end of the day, attitude is everything.  As the old nugget goes: “Your attitude determines your altitude.” 

Be careful which stories you choose to believe!

Reclaim Your Brain

Friday Make Up Day

1) Empower Reset #43
10 mins
20 Deadbugs
20 Egg Rolls
20 Windshield Wipers
20 Glute Raises

10 mins
20 Hands & Knees Rock
20 Bird Dogs
10/10 Leg Extended Rock R/L

10 mins
Alternate Between:
Hands & Knees Crawl
Leopard Crawl

10 mins
10 Full Body Rocks
20 Cross Crawl March
10 Cross Crawl Squats
10 Cross Crawl Reverse Lunges
10 Cross Crawl Side Lunges
10 Cross Crawl Curtsy Lunges

2) Complete as many reps as possible in 12 minutes of:
3 burpees to a 6-inch target
3 GHD sit-ups
6 burpees to a 6-inch target
6 GHD sit-ups
9 burpees to a 6-inch target
9 GHD sit-ups
...Continue to add 3 reps to each exercise until time expires.

3) For time:
9 deadlifts
15 front squats
21 clean and jerks