Category: Break the Cycle

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Seasons of Change

The snow flurries hit my vest. My fingertips are frozen, the wind whips across the bare skin on the back of my neck. And just like that, I am running into another season of change.

It’s natural for us to want things to stay steady. We get complacent. We get comfy-cozy in our steady-paced, uninterrupted lives.

We don’t like change, we un-invite ideas of challenge, and we settle for what happens to us, within us, without really fighting for what makes us feel alive, and worthy.

When the cold snap of life hits, the precipitation flies, and adaptiveness sets in… remember a few things.

Seasons of change bring elements of transformation. Awaken to the new day not just with a tolerance to accept what it brings you… but with a silent preparedness that you are here to dream big, take charge, and live a peace-filled life.

Invite the season in. Sit down with it, let your goals be known. And when it tries to pull you back, or divert you to unrest… zip up your armor and remind it just who you are.

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #seasonsofchange #wecandobetter

Journal Your Way to Insight, Happiness and Healing!

Journaling course is ready for you to explore!

Love to write? Ready to try journaling as form of self therapy? At Run Before You Fly, we’re inspired toward continued self betterment.

Join us for a group journaling adventure! We have an illuminating writing course for you to benefit from.

Journal solo. Share with trusted friends. Or, consult with Suzanne for a coaching session. It’s up to you.

Don’t miss discounted pricing on the new “Journal Your Way to a Peaceful Holiday Season.” This is a mini course that Suzanne and Dina are offering to our email list and Facebook group members!

We’ll have more courses coming in the new year. Sign up for our list to be notified of future writing workshop and course launches. 

-Suzanne and Dina

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When it’s Hard to be Thankful.

So much of what of what I write about comes from the experiences, trials, and uneasy places I have visited within myself since I was a little girl.

We are constantly being told be grateful, be thankful, count your blessings etc.

But what if you feel that life makes it impossible to do so?

I can promise you that life will always bring trials and experiences of unfathomable circumstances. I know in my own self-discovery that many painful days where I begged for answers of clarity… have always ended with “Be still… have faith… and find a way to seek thankfulness… even still.”

Blessings come in all forms. And even in the times where we think they are not present… seek to find something exhibited in your day… guiding you to simplicity and contentment.

As we enter this Thanksgiving holiday, let us all remember that some of us will face challenges of unknown severity.

One of us will we be faced with difficult family dynamics. One of us will shake with anxiety of not picking up a drink.

One of us will feel alone, afraid or not worthy of receiving grace. One of us will have just awoke from years of self inflicted wounds. One of us will still feel the unbearable pain of the absence of a loved one who is gone.

Be kind to yourself, and allow for adjustments. Search for the thankfulness in simply showing up for yourself… with a willingness to try, and to want better.

Blue skies are a gift to be thankful for. A warm smile is a gift to be thankful for. A text saying “I’m here for you…” is a reason to be thankful.

Be thankful… even still.

#seekgratefulness #RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #evenstill

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Face It.

To be a front runner in our personal lives requires us to lead with an open heart, display a willingness to be consistent, and have the courage to face our monsters hiding in the closet.

As I reflect back on the slideshow of my life, often times it seems surreal. The moments when I retrace and pace the steps of how I got to this place, in this very moment, seem translucent.

My years of active addiction and being overweight ingrained feelings of shame, driving the markers of failure deeper. I denied my inner cry for help.

For years I tried to hide the whiskey on my breath. I wept in silence, I gulped processed food in silence… and I hated myself out loud.

I don’t know what you’re facing today… but I do know this. Perhaps today is the day you must descend down in order to rise up to a better tomorrow.

Sit or lie with whatever it is, until you have comfortably declared that it will no longer control you. And remember: just as the autumn leaves must fall to face their destiny… even on the ground, their beauty is magnificent.

Today does not have to be radical nor does it have to be complicated. We are all worthy of moving at our own pace. Today is about understanding that as we grow inward and in faith, it gets harder to fake what we won’t be.

Make an advanced choice to put your truth in front of your impression.

We start slow. We start by admittance. Ask yourself… what do I need to face today? Maybe it’s been hidden for years, or maybe the prints are still fresh.

Move through today with grace and strength. Life is waiting for you.

RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #faceitfriday #runningsavedmylife

Stay in Touch with Suzanne

Thank you for supporting my writing and running endeavors at RunBeforeyouFly.com. I’m Suzanne Swanson and I’d love for us to keep in touch!

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The Daily Summit

To reach the summit or peak of life is not just a one-time experience. We must give forth an effort daily. Climb, rest, repeat.

Distractions continually will try to disrupt our footing and move us to a place of unbalance both mentally and physically.

We gain resilience when we choose not to let the loose footing of our lives define us, halt us, or destroy us.

You will without a doubt hear negativity from someone today. You will be tempted, frustrated, and persuaded to get off the trail of your goals, good works, and beautiful visions.

Don’t be fooled… be wiser, be steadfast, and deliberate in your awareness of where you are headed.

Whether we are running, walking, hiking, working, or at home… let us meet this dawn with a joy-filled spirit. Let us release all the toxic moisture of those people, places, and things that try so hard to overtake our spirit.

Inspire someone today to welcome themselves home… to not give up on their quest to be better… to live better.

May we all find the summit of this day.

Don’t give up today, the view from the top is worth it.

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #thedailysummit

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Run With Our Pack. NEW FB Group and Page

I would like to welcome everyone who recently signed up for our mailings or joined our Facebook group, Run Before You Fly. These past few days have been a whirlwind of sorts. One minute I was still daydreaming about a blog, a name, a Facebook group of my own. Then, boom, just like that we hit go… and here we are. 🤎

The Run Before You Fly blog will be the place I keep my writings, musings, ponderings of life, love, struggle and happiness. Some have asked to receive a daily dose of runner’s inspiration from my pen to your heart… for that, I recommend signing up for my email list.

Our Facebook group will serve as a safe space to share our personal victories and losses, influence and inspire each other. We can post about and celebrate our talents, what lights us up, areas where we need help, and all the beautiful chaos life gives us.

Our group will not be a place to criticize, be better than, insult or put anyone down. I won’t tolerate that. Open discussion is fine, and while we may not agree on every topic or everyone’s ideas or thoughts… there is always a respectful way to have a conversation.

Sometimes I still stumble out of bed… hit the coffee pot, put my workout clothes on and tie my sneakers. I grumble, I stay stuck sometimes in my old ways of thinking. Self doubt… shame… and guilt try to infiltrate their way into my brain. Dark places can inspire us to be better, stronger, and wiser.

Commitment… perseverance… gratitude… these are all things that, during my active years of eating too much, drinking too much and overthinking, I thought were not possible for me. I’m here to tell you… yes, this and more is possible. You can achieve good things, and restore yourself to health.

Whatever you struggle with… food? Substance? Gambling? Trauma? PTSD? Depression? …know that you can recover. Your story helps the next person, so never be afraid to tell it.

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know why I am on this journey yet. But I do know this.

I am hopeful. I am strong… and I am grateful.

Feel safe here. Share, and together let’s inspire each other to change the world 🌍.

Join Our Pack! “Run Before You Fly”.

Join the Run Before You Fly Facebook Group– for running motivation, staying accountable, being healthy, setting goals, offering support to one another, and breathing life into our dreams!

To receive daily inspiration via email, sign up here. Please add us to your Safe Senders list so that my message to you won’t get lost in spam by accident!

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It’s Not Easy, Going Rogue.

Back in my hometown this morning on my beautiful paved roads of familiarity. This past week of mountain climbing put my body to the test, revealing areas of needed improvement.

My mindset was challenged… yet this experience gave me a sense of improved peace, and a complete appreciation for what it truly means to work for the reward.

I’m starting today with a refurbished attitude. I journaled my new goals this morning, releasing all the crap that was ready to slither in and set up roadblocks. Each day begins with a choice to settle… or a choosing of doing better… being better… living better.

It’s not easy going rogue. Standing tall for better choices, seeking better people, living for God and loving yourself enough to be transparent so others can see it is possible.

I’ve lived in my own hell. I wrote the book on feeling sorry, feeling guilty, and falling short.

Today is glorious. The air is perfect, the sun is shining. I hear the wind softly singing its own song, and the birds are happy. Today can be the day you decide change is gonna come.

I see you… I heard you… I believe in you. Let’s get going. Time waits for no one.

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Choose Happy.

For those of you struggling to seek self-joy or self-empowerment… here goes it.

Our power within awakens each day with us. It is our thoughts that can destroy us. Choose happy on purpose. Choose balance.

Choose flexibility over rigidity. I remember asking myself… Why me?

I asked that question a thousand times… until I got still enough to really seek the answer. My struggles, my hurts, my lot in life was a tool. A tool to teach me grace, humility, strength, and freedom.

Negative people suck. Naysayers, manipulators, and evil doers are at every corner, every stop light, every open door we enter through. Greet them with a few things they can’t stand: contentment, happiness, and a heart full of joy☀️.

Challenges come, but be victorious in today. Clear your mind, have a little talk with your thoughts, and be better…

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Letter to a Narcissist.

Her awakening came not by chance, but by an inner voice that was calling her. She was desperate for change but stuck in a quicksand of past failures, deep hurts, and powerful addictions.

She cleared her throat, wiped a single tear off her cheek.

She saw the courage one day, it came to her in a flash. She knew in her heart of hearts the day had to come. She would have to seek justice for herself. So afraid and scared, she wrote the words that she knew would trigger an ending to the madness.

She wrote the words of freedom and liberation. She wrote the words that only a coward could read and twist to inflict more guilt and manipulation.

She was tired, she was exhausted. She was playing a game of chess she could never win because she is not skilled in sickness, and obsession.

She heard the words of what the Spirit told her to write… she backspaced, afraid. Then she re-wrote it.

“Relish in this day because this is the last day any of you will have control over me again. I am not afraid anymore.”

She knew these words within would end the game. Peace would come in the morning. Stand in your beliefs of good versus evil, be afraid of nothing, their guilt-infused words, the booze, and the food only have the power you give these things.

“Seek Me and forgive yourself… you are set free 🖤.”

My letter to a Narcissist, my addiction, and my unhealthy lifestyle ~

Set yourself free. Run to freedom, and allow peace to flow like a river…

Follow along as Suzanne Swanson takes us through her transformation from addiction to athlete. Find support and healing in your own life! We’re sending Suzanne’s blog updates via email along with a daily dose of motivation. Don’t miss the next post… delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to hear from Suzanne via email here.

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Inner Badass

There is a neverending journey to my soul. Each section of my path teaches me something valuable to my foster my continued growth and repair.

Here’s what my journey has spoken so softly yet loud as a bell this past week… listen and your spirit will guide you ~

Seeking rest and solidity is a must for me. I struggle with this…. but to rest in His word… in my truths, and in my beliefs, isn’t just for show… it’s my life support.

Release any and all toxic bullshit from your life. This includes people, places, and things. People will try and attach all their baggage onto you. Cut the cord and seek out only those who amplify your well-being.

Never ever underestimate the power of your inner badass. Stop worrying about tomorrow and unwrap your hidden gifts. Share them.

Be kind, be good and ever so light… but be not fooled. Do not be fragile or persuaded… be strong and clothed in his strength. 💙

Seek your power today… Amen.

Join our safe sharing space!

Run Before You Fly Private Facebook Group is open to all who wish to continue to share their experiences, love of running, and battles of life, with each other. Together we are better.

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Mental Reset

Today I am going to put some powerful work in and press the Ctl Alt Delete reset button of my mind.

When stresses accumulate, when toxic people show back up, when the ways and behaviors of this world are heavy on me… I need a reset.

It’s so easy for any of us to be persuaded back into old patterns of unhealthy eating. Invitations to our destructive habits and addictions can arrive wrapped in deceptive packaging.

Do not be fooled, and do not be led. Be the leader.

Take time today to meet yourself on the roads and trails of your life. Be grateful of where you are, be accepting of where you have been, and be hopeful of where you are going. When the anvils and pressures sit heay… hit Ctl Alt Delete. Clear your head space… and start over.

Every day we are given a new chance to re-arrange, re think, and re-adjust the choices and progress of who we are. Take your power back. Claim it, own it, and use it for good.

Our wealth, our health, and our prosperity are gained but only by the fruits of our labor. Grace is new every morning… and may this road, and these sneakers continue to be the steady ground that has changed my life.

CTL ALT DELETE RESET and GO.