Category: Courage

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Purpose Fuels Passion

In the meantime…

You’ll arrive at the place of finding purpose and fueling passion when you stop feeding the monsters of negativity and failure.

You’ll arrive at the crossroads of change when you rise with gratefulness and thanks, and seek more blessings… not count more curses.

But in the meantime… do not waste any further time wishing you were someone else. Do not wear jealousy of another’s success… or anger at the ignorance of what someone does not understand.

In the meantime, make sure you are loving with your whole heart.

In the meantime, set your standards high and keep your judgements low.

In the meantime, do the very thing that scares you to death, but brings you to life.

In the meantime, do some living… haven’t we punished ourselves enough for things we had little or absolutely no control over?

Set your goals, run your races, swim the oceans, climb the mountains, grow your business, make new friends, make new plans, cross out, scratch off, re-write, do over, release, repeat…

Just remember in the meantime… that person inside you is begging you to love them. You can be anything you set your mind to. But in the meantime… let’s start by being perfectly, wonderfully, no matter what you weigh, or where your scars are, or what you did, or what you couldn’t… YOU 💙.

In the meantime, just do your best. In the meantime say please, and thank you, I love you, and I’m sorry. Stay excited, and keep believing. In the meantime… the universe is watching… be ready when it shakes you 🌎.

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Why Are You Smiling?

Suzanne, why are you smiling?

I smile because I am seeing my dreams unfold before me. I smile because, despite what some may think, this world is still full of good people… doing abounding things to help others.

I smile because I have stood in the ring of a what seemed like a 12-round boxing match, not only to come out stronger, sober, healthier, but with increased spiritual growth and a newfound sense of purpose and passion.

I smile because the gifts I have been given by my creator have never been more clear or more precise.

I smile because when I share those gifts, my soul feels happy, and my cup is full. I smile because the toxic crap and negative self-talk that once took their liberties upon me, can never break my wall of liberation.

Today can be the day you break your chains. Today can be your day of forgiveness, acceptance, preservation, and hope.

Did you smile today? Even when it’s hard, even when you don’t want to, even still… smile. You may just make someone’s day better. Enough about that… time to move.

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Can We Do Better?

I look at this triad that stares back at me and still to this day am unsure of its unfolding. I peer into the eyes of that little girl named Suzanne. 

Dreams of a 7-year-old are quite simple… the fairytales of my princess room seemed so life-like and doable. The genuineness to travel to space, meet my celebrity crush, and care for my baby doll as if her literal life depended on it, kept me smiling and full of life.

The adult years slapped me in the face with a darkness I wasn’t prepared for. The unforeseen devil in the bottle of whiskey, the lies of processed shit food, being overweight, and the hidden agenda of my mind… were to continually taunt me, shame me, and unravel every little good thing I wanted to believe about myself.

Today you will find me on solid ground, but with dreams that soar, and a heart that’s been mended. This didn’t come without tough lessons, steadfast trust, and a pair of sneakers. Those worn out treads have carried me miles and miles.

Running gave me purpose. It befriended me at my lowest, and has taken me to my highest. It never sways, it never says…”‘no you can’t”, it’s not partial to day or night, it doesn’t care what I look like, or what I wear. It just shows up when I need it… and guides me one step at a time. It listens without judgement, and it believes in me.

Running helped me break the chains, and fight for a new existence. It instructed me to do better. We all have crap in our mental closets. We stuff it away, we drink it down, we purge it up… over and over. 

What if we just do better? Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t excuse yourself to repeating patterns. Do better. Do something. Do it until you see that 7-year-old’s innocence again… and when you see her, tell her she was right. You can be anything your heart desires. The end.

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Talk to Your Heart.

Something on my heart today is… you. The messages just this morning alone I have received… they come flooding in with words like “Help, I can’t, I’m drowning, I’m trying, I’m lost, I’m lonely, I’m fat, I’m done, this scares me”… the list goes on.

The darkness of each of us is real. Goals we don’t meet. Disappointing news at our door daily, failed diets, health problems, divorces, addictions, all the profound uncertainties that we know we can’t control… yet each day we give them an open invitation to burrow inside us…striking that all too familiar feeling of unrest and discord.

Waking up and doing something is victory. Drinking one less drink, smoking one less cigarette, moving your body two more inches than you did yesterday is victory.

Saying no is victory. Saying yes is victory. Trying to outrun all that weighs you down will tire you, and eat away at the goodness of your core.

Sit with whatever it is… let the tears sting, and the saltwater cleanse… move toward grace and possibility with ease rather than breathlessness.

Talk to your heart. Find out what it needs. When life saddens me, or pushes me into heightened awareness… the Scorpio in me wants to fight… the empath in me wants to cry… but the soul in me wants to run. My answers are always in the asphalt, and the open road.

Find where your answers come from. Let it in… hold it tight… and know that your words are not lost on a message board, they are not unread… they are here.

I hear you. I see you. I believe in you. Now let’s get going… there’s work to be done.

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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

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Victory.

Victories come in all ways that are unique to our goals and our personal achievements. It doesn’t always have to be about the time on the watch, the number on a scale, or what page 37 of the magazine says it is…

This morning I watched the most incredible sunrise I almost have ever witnessed. The sky was lavender, mixed with reds, and oranges, and a stillness that is hard to put into words… to be alive, out of bed, for my eyes to see that is a victory.

I struggle with running in heat and humidity. This morning I ran up the same hills that often defeat me, with ease and a lightness I haven’t felt in a long time. That’s a victory.

Maybe getting out of bed today for you is a victory. Maybe smoking one less cigarette, drinking one less drink, eating one less cookie, those are all victories.

Speaking the truth in love is a victory. Being a little kinder… not tolerating other people’s crap… all victories. Saying yes to yourself and no to societal stigmas. VICTORY.

It doesn’t matter how small or immeasurable you think your progress is. Feel the joy of it all. Your victories are your guide. Use them… thank them, and be glad in them. They are all part of your story.

Go find a victory today. Amen. 🖤

#whataview #runningmotivation #imaluckygirl

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.

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I Am Courageous.

Today I am starting with a gentle “yoga for runners” workout.

I am giving thanks and gratitude for my legs and what they are capable of… for the many miles they take me… for the experiences both good and bad… for the strength that I have built both in the mind and body.

I don’t care where you are in your journey today. Maybe just drinking an extra glass of water is all you can do. Maybe getting out of bed was a challenge you overcame this morning…

Maybe it’s promising yourself verbally today that the toxic crap someone will rain down on you will go through you like an open drain…

Maybe you will take a few steps outside. Maybe you will run 25 feet.

Maybe you will finally forgive yourself with an all-knowing that you are worth every investment you put into yourself.

So say it: “I am courageous.”

Say it until you believe it. Your mind is listening. Feed it with only words of kind nourishment.

Now go, get dressed and let’s go…🌟💫

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Inhale Courage, Exhale Fear

She awoke one day in her usual frame of mind. Her head pounded from booze the prior night. The processed crap she had eaten just before laying down did not comfort her as promised… only left her feeling more empty and digusted.

She slightly remembered her repeated promise to herself only hours before that someday things would be different.

Fear roared louder and louder, telling her she wasn’t strong enough to change. Fear invited itself in to set up camp in her mind, expecting to stay for the long haul without question or hesitation.

Courage had other plans, and waited ever so patiently to surface. Courage held her hand and led her inward.

“We’re going deep,” Courage whispered… “We may be gone a while. But when we come, back fear will no longer live here.”

“Are you sure I’m ready?” she mouthed.

Courage took a big inhale and said:

“We’ve waited our whole life for this moment. Onward, Love… the end. 🌸🌷🌿.

What fear is holding you back today? Inhale… exhale… onward.

#hopedealer #inhalecourageexhalefear #wegotthistogether

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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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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The Climb.

Today I laced up shoes… but instead of running sneakers, they were trail sneakers.

I faced unbelievable fear today during my climb to the highest peak in Vermont at 4,393 feet above sea level — Mount Mansfield. This climb was straight up the mountain, had a rock chasm, and challenged every athletic bone in my body.

At the Summit I cried tears of joy, and gratitude, and was in pure awe at the view I saw. Visibility was 100 miles and not a cloud In the sky. I thanked my body for its resilience, and healing.

I gave thanks for my health and the miraculous gifts my body gives to me. I prayed for all the things that have been weighing heavy, and sat with a complete easiness of how I am choosing my serve my being.

This was a day I’ll never forget…

“Ain’t about how fast I get there… Ain’t about waiting on the other side… it’s the climb.”

#imadeit #climbthemountain

Stay in Touch with Suzanne

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