The You Underneath
I've been sharing my story with live audiences for 16+ years ~ and last night was different. So honored and grateful to walk into their world and share the whole story. ✨💫
For 16 + years, I've been sharing about a girl + a dream ~ and how that dream came true.
Wishing on a star.
The leaping into the unknown - letting go of the how's.
The belief that it was possible.
Sacrifices - so many sacrifices.
Vision boards. Goal setting. Grinding it out.
The power of the small choices. And how they matter.
The importance of coaching.
Paying attention to your environment.
Rising up after a fall - and there were so many.
Mindset. And releasing fear.
So many stories. So many lessons learned ~ the biggest of all ::
Dreams Come True.
And.
There is so much more to the story than I've shared before ~ I was too afraid to tell the whole truth -
too afraid to share what was going on underneath the surface.
Perfection driving. Shame riding shotgun. Inner critic loud.
When the gold medal was placed around my neck, my world changed.
Last night I shared with these beautiful souls ~
I told them about my podium moment - and how much joy it brought me. And. I told them about the inner critic who was up there too.
I led off the record setting 4x200 freestyle relay. Gold medal. Our national anthem.
And one of the stories the inner critic told me ~ I wasn't athletic enough.
For years the inner critic told me I wasn't worthy of the title Olympian.
Never-enough.
~
Underneath all of the stats, awards, achievements, titles, etc... underneath it all, there we are.
We are worthy without conditions.
And, sometimes the noise gets too loud.
It's the inner critic who tells you, 'If I just ..., then...' or 'I'm not...'
The inner critic is the one berating you when you make a mistake.
The inner critic is the one telling you that if you just tried harder, you'd be happy and fulfilled.
And we so often think we are alone in it.
We're not.
What if we learned to see that voice as separate from us?
What if we stopped spending all of our time + energy engaging with it ~ running from it and arguing back??
What if we were able to watch it pass through ~ without judgement?
I am here to tell you, we can. I know because I've done it.
And I know what's on the other side ~
FREEDOM. BALANCE. LASTING JOY.
On the way to our DREAMS.
And, I'd want to take you there.
~
We all have our wall of shit ~ we can't change what's happened to us.
We can change how we respond.
Over the last 3+ years, I've added to + strengthened my skill set which has allowed me to release the stranglehold of perfection and the inner critic.
No longer living my life in my head.
Unapologetically free to be me.
If we want to be loved - fully + completely - we have to be seen.
Our true selves - not the representative we hide behind.
We have to release the grip of fear. We have to choose love.
And, shedding the perfectionist armor takes time.
And a support system - of people who've walked the path.
When I say I am living FREE and feeling deep, lasting joy ~ I mean it!!
And, now I pay it forward ~ ✨💖💫🌸
~