Cross the Finish Line

In high school, I tried out for the dance team. And not too surprisingly (if you’ve seen my coordination skills), I didn’t make it.

So then, I tried out for the basketball team. I played in middle school and figured I was a shoe-in. But I didn’t make that team too.

Finally, I tried out for the soccer team and with years of playing, I thought I had a pretty good chance. But I didn’t make that team either.

For all of these teams, I was told that I was good, but “not good enough.”

So I did what anyone who really wanted to be a part of a team (but who was having a hard time getting on one) would do.

I signed up for the two teams that required absolutely no try outs. They had to take me, regardless.

Fast forward, as a high-school freshman, there I was. A proud member of the cross country team for fall semester. And a beaming member of the track and field team for spring semester.

Mind you, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never run a mile in my life…

Yet, I was on the cross country and track team for four years and over those four years, I showed up to every meet and every practice.

I came in last just about every race, but I did the thing that I cared about – I finished. I finished something I originally had no idea how to do and something that I wasn’t sure I could do. And that, to me and my coaches, meant that I was good enough and in fact, that I always had been.

Wondering what this has to do with feeling confident in your body, life, and in love? Well, these are three big things. These are, in fact, some of the hardest things.

And putting yourself out there to do hard things means that you’re going to feel rejected or scared …  a lot. You’re going to feel like you’re not good enough at times too. You may even feel like no one understands what you’re trying to do.

But I want you to know that feeling rejected is a sign of bravery. It means you tried.

Think about it – what person do you love and respect who hasn’t gone through hard times? Times where they felt rejected, not good enough, pretty enough, or thin enough, or maybe even, unloved? If you’re anything like me, you can’t think of one.

So know you’ve got to show up. You’ve got to put yourself out there. And you’ve got to be willing to try and be rejected. Because in return, you will find your people. You will uncover your path. And you will cross that finish line.

And as you cross that finish line, no matter how slow you go, you’ll discover that you were always good enough. You just didn’t allow yourself to see it.

Keep going.

xo

Corinne