Every morning, around 5:30 am, I go for a 5-mile run.
Most people assume that I leap out of bed at 5:00 am with a big grin on my face, and a heart that’s brimming with gratitude, rushing for my sneakers with joy as I chant inspiring Oprah quotes to myself.
No.
It’s not like that.
Some mornings, yes, I do wake up feeling excited to lace up my sneakers and go for a run. But most mornings, I don’t.
Most mornings, I wake up and my brain immediately starts compiling a list of reasons why I shouldn’t go. It’s too cold. It’s too wet. I can go later. I already went yesterday. It’s so comfortable here. I worked so hard yesterday. I deserve to stay in bed.
There’s this part of my brain that tries to convince me to stay under the covers forever, even if I’ve already gotten 7 or 8 hours of sleep. I call this part of my brain the “drunk best friend.”
You know who I’m talking about. She means well. She has the best of intentions. But her suggestions are pretty terrible. It’s the inner voice that urges you to eat five corn dogs and blow off your appointments and sleep for the next 12 hours. Very unwise.
Here’s what I’ve learned…
When that drunk best friend voice starts babbling inside my head, I don’t have to listen to that particular voice. I can ignore her. I can change the channel. I can lace up my sneakers and head out the door. And I never, ever regret it when I do.
I’m currently spending a month in Paris with my daughter, and my inner drunk friend has been blathering at an especially loud volume lately. It’s been especially hard to peel myself out of bed for my AM run. But I’ve done it. And the rewards have been… majestic.
On my runs through Paris, in the quiet, soft, early morning light, I’ve gotten to see things like this…
And this…
And also this…
Moral of the story:
When you’re facing a challenge—whether it’s doing your 5 am run, or submitting a client proposal, or making a difficult personal decision and following through, or applying for a new job, or launching your new podcast, or whatever you’re trying to do—you essentially have two choices:
1. Show up to meet the challenge.
2. Or, go back to sleep.
You can lace up your sneakers, slay the dragon, and bask in the satisfaction and sense of achievement… or you can allow your inner drunk friend to call the shots. You decide.
Choose to be a woman who shows up.
When we show up, that’s when we feel strong, empowered, and proud of ourselves. And that’s when the world blooms open with beauty.
PS. So… I didn’t really want to send out this newsletter. I mean, I mostly did, but it’s been a busy week and I felt a little whiney about it. I had to self-coach myself into showing up—reviewing it, checking for typos, choosing the right photos, passing it along to my assistant for formatting. You know. Doing the work. But I showed up… so that this message could show up in your inbox… to inspire you to show up for your life. And I’m glad I got it done. Because beautiful things happen—for ourselves, and for others—when we choose to show up. xo.
