Ready to Discover
WHAT YOU’RE REALLY CAPABLE OF?
“You’re doing WHAT again?!?”
That’s the reaction I’m getting this time around when I tell friends about my latest adventure. Last year, I conquered the 29029 Everesting Challenge in Whistler… 36 hours of hiking up the mountain and taking the gondola down, repeating that cycle 8 times until I’d climbed the equivalent height of Mt. Everest.
This July, I’m back for round two, but with a completely different twist. I’ve signed up for the 29029 TRAIL Challenge in Park City, and this time, it’s not about going up and down the same mountain. Instead, I’ll be tackling 3 mountain marathons over 3 consecutive days (roughly 79 miles). That’s 26.2 miles each day across different mountain terrain, with 12 hours to complete each marathon-distance hike.
Why am I putting myself through this again? Because challenges like this have a way of showing what’s possible.
When you push past what feels impossible, something shifts. You start questioning all those other things you’ve written off as “too hard” or “not for someone like me.” Maybe it’s that fitness goal you’ve been putting off, or the project you keep saying you’ll start someday. The truth is, most of us are walking around with a much smaller view of our capabilities than reality would suggest.
If you’d asked me last year whether I could tackle 3 mountain marathons in 3 consecutive days, I would have laughed and said “no”. But the training program started with something completely manageable. That first week, all I had to do was take 30-minute outdoor walks paired with some strength training, and it gradually building week by week. Last weekend, I hiked 60 miles! It wasn’t easy, but it was absolutely doable.
This is what happens when we break down what seems impossible into small, consistent steps. What feels impossible today becomes tomorrow’s warm-up. We discover capabilities we never knew we had, and instead of feeling weighed down by the enormity of a goal, we feel lighter… more confident in what’s actually possible.
Anything can be broken down to small action steps that can be completed one little step at a time. In every aspect of life, no matter what the goal, remember that we can take small, doable steps. The question isn’t whether you can – it’s whether you will.
If you’re feeling stuck and want to get moving, here are 3 basic tools to help you launch forward and keep going….
3 Steps to Go From Stuck to Unstoppable
1) Break It Down:
The first step is to chunk your big goal into small, achievable action steps. Those steps should be specific and realistic based on your current habits. Rather than “lose 10 pounds,” your goal might be “stick to my sugar budget today.”
2) Practice Patience:
Dramatic, profound change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes patience to build new habits and sustain them over time. Don’t get discouraged – adjust your approach as needed and celebrate small successes along the way.
3) Don’t Think You Can, Know You Can:
Having an unwavering belief in your ability to succeed is crucial. Voice your goals out loud (in front of a mirror!), write them down, and continue reinforcing and visualizing your endpoint. You CAN do this!
One. Step. At. A. Time.
One foot in front of the other, making sustainable progress over time – that’s how we’ll all reach our wellness goals. I’ll be right here cheering you on and sharing my own hurdles, breakthroughs, and hopefully…a nice view.
