*** this article was originally written for NM’s Friday Letters. Read the full version below.
As I move through my athlete career as a professional volleyball player and find myself in very strange, beautiful, sometimes alarming situations overseas, I am reminded that these are my true moments of growth. These are the situations, the people, the experiences that continuously mould me into the person I am right now. The person I am becoming.
To be honest, if I was looking in on someone else’s life doing this, I’d have to ask why. It sure doesn’t seem fun grinding day in and day out on the court, fighting with coaches, teammates, or board members to get your point across, being humiliated in front of x amount of persons, crying those big ugly tears because nothing is familiar and you are so, so homesick. The professional athlete life is beyond tough. It is not for the faint of heart. And I personally have been in some rough situations and seasons.
The thing that always makes me pause is the fact that I would not take away any of those stressful, heart wrenching seasons. The lessons, the resilience, and the tenacity I needed to face these challenges always helped me in a future situation.
It was my experience that allowed me to bounce back after a bad week of training, a poor showing in a match, and being yelled at by my coach.
It was my fight when I didn’t back down from someone telling me I wasn’t good enough.
It was my character that pushed me to show up at practice and work my absolute hardest even though I knew I would never get to start a match.
It was my heart that built long lasting friendships in dark seasons.
These days I can show up, give my all, and fight for myself because I have this belief: I have already been through it all. The lessons that I’ve learned, albeit hard, and the tragedies I have experienced in my life, albeit impossible, keep propelling me forward.
It keeps me in motion.
We always wish for easy seasons whether you’re an athlete or not. But easy doesn’t make us grow. It doesn’t shape us into our BECOMING.
Movement is both essential in it’s physical and emotional form. This is crucial to eventually move into the space we are meant to occupy in this world.
When we feel pushed and uncomfortable, we are moving. So instead of wishing for easy, wish for challenging. And my friends, 2020 has been NOTHING but challenging. Last year could you ever imagine going through what you just did? What you just went through? I doubt it. Did you find yourself on the other side, learning more about yourself and what’s important in your heart, than ever before? I would guess so.
The truth is, we don’t want to stay still in this life. We want to continue moving, continue growing, and continue being shaped by this life we’re living — from ALL of our experiences. If we’re living in comfortable and neutral, we won’t arrive at our truth and our healing. We won’t arrive at the door step of our passions. As a culture we are so terrified of the hardships that we protect our children to their detriment. We set up walls around our hearts to not feel the hurt. But it’s on the other side of the challenges and lessons, when we overcome and feel strong and proud. We can create a feeling of safety and power within ourselves. We just need to be brave and keep moving.
In the darkness we fight and triumph and it is there we become who we were always meant to be.
Welcome the difficult with open arms. You’re ready for it. You’ve already done it.
NM is an online fitness community that challenges the social norms of what fitness culture has always looked like. The Friday Letter’s are inspired by movement, which is what the above article was all about; my life in motion. A little bit more about NM and what they believe: “Movement is essential for everyone. We believe that healthy lives are expressed in all different shapes, fitness levels, and ages. It doesn’t matter where you are starting from today; fitness should be accessible, inclusive, and never discouraging. We aren’t like other fitness companies; We focus on the feeling, not the numbers.” They are changing the game. You don’t need to run a marathon, a HITT class, and lift heavy weights a few times a week to call it working out. We are slowly shifting into the space where we realize the importance of balance, rest, and listening to your body. NM offers fitness programs with a very wide range of movements. You are not only challenging your body, but challenging your mind physically and emotionally. If you want to learn more about them, you can go HERE.