Category: Empowerment

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Illusions.

Don’t be fooled by false promises, quick fixes, instant gratifications, or if you act nows!

Life is full of short-lived crap that is assured if we turn down the “I know a short cut” road. Every part of your path is meant for exactly where you need to be.

The long road, the slow and steady pace, the stay-the-course path that you know is right… will lead you to your place of joy, contentment, and peace.

I do it too. I get anxious, I get annoyed when I don’t see results fast enough. I let the brutal lessons I have learned in the past overtake my mind, and suddenly I am cross-examining myself to induce doubt, fear, and be strong held to what I know isn’t for me.

Our health, our wellness, our internal peace… our innate ability to help others become better… begins when we do not negotiate with doubters, guilt inflictors, or evil thoughts of the mind.

Illusions look good. They are pretty, perfectly pretended, and often false.

Draw the curtains, let the light show you the truth… and remember you are only buying what you sell yourself…

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY

#wakeupandrun #mamaknows

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Say You Can.

Today I want to share a simple thought of transformation. Often times we transform our bodies, which is hands-down important. However, I sometimes forget how crucial it is to continue to transform my mind.

I spent time today reflecting on how much our world has changed, how much I have changed.

I pondered what I will no longer continue to tolerate, what I will continue to let go of, and what I will continue to welcome in.

Disappointments arrive at our door daily. Goals we set seem just an inch’s length away… until the next roadblock occurs.

If we let these things dictate our progress and determine our happiness…we are already set up for failure.

I didn’t get sober by accident. I worked for it. I didn’t lose weight by accident… I fought every damn day of my life for it.

l didn’t wish for my beliefs… morals… and values to improve. I chose it, I suffered for it, I learned from it.

I stumble every day over something. I question it… I swear about it… I dislike it.

But I know when the day ends and the night falls… the transformation continues.

My path is lit with hope, faith, dreams, and goals as wide as my paper will allow me to write them. No one person, place or thing is going to force me to see it differently.

Stay your course… and know it’s your journey… it’s your pen… and you have something very valuable to teach others.

May your transformation be ever so sweet.

#strongaf #sayyes #sayyoucan

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Transformation

Transformation is a continuous remodeling of the self.

For me to continue to gain self love, and move with an energized spirit… I know the work is never done.

The open road this morning makes me feel alive. It’s a space where all the cares, ideas, and negativity dripped on me from the day before can be pounded away with each release of my foot.

How good does it feel… when we can move with fluidity… all the while showing toxic people, damaging thoughts, and dream squashers that our joy, our drive and belief in the goodness of others and ourselves will continue to triumph?

It feels damn good…

Continue to transform today. Get up and get after it. There’s work to be done!

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #empowerment

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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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Run Before You Fly.

She stood raw in front of the mirror, shaking from the sicknesses inside her. She was tired. Her head pounded as the liquid poison was trying to escape her cells. Her eyes red… barely open from puffiness of crying herself to sleep, begging for anything or anyone to save her from herself.

“You can’t reason with us,” her demons spoke up quickly. “You’re lost, you’re fat, you’re a drunk, and you will never be loved.”

She looked at her sneakers that had settled where she last kicked them in the corner of her room… laces twisted, so bright and beautiful. She turned around, paused… and then turned her head back to the corner.

No, she thought… I’m delusional.

She looked again and the inner voice of those shoes said… and she heard:

“We love you, we believe in you. Give us a chance.”

She untangled the laces, slipped them on her feet like Cinderella… feeling a tad nauseous, and with the room spinning… she opened her door.

With newfound hope in her heart… she turned back to the mirror and whispered:

“You’re wrong, demons… keep your eyes on my feet, keep your hands to yourself… ’cause we’re about to set out and change this world.”

Take yourself to the next level today. Go higher and soar. Take in only that which brings you love, peace, strength, and light. I believe in you.

-Suzanne Swanson

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #transformationtuesday #dunkindonutskicks #rocketfuelincup

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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Keep Running

What can you do today that sets you apart from typical crap we face… especially on a Monday!?

Keep Running is such a great mantra for me. It can be delineated in so many areas of life.

There are never-ending reasons life gives us to bow our heads quietly and feel defeat.

We get easily annoyed by traffic, people, overthinking, the stress of our work.

Stuck in our home life, our addictions, our shortcomings and struggles… we simply forget to keep going.

Perseverance, practice, and promise give us hope and a reason to always believe that what we do matters… integrity matters… the dreams and aspirations that live inside you matter…

Take today… this day, Monday, as a chance not to stop and start over, not to sit with deep regret, not to judge yourself for what you did or didn’t do… but simply to keep going…

Keep Running.

You will be amazed at how much love this universe has for you.

You will be overjoyed when you watch the seasons of your being blossom into vivid greatness.

Whatever tries to halt your progress today… turn your head, root your feet and just “keep running.” ☀️

I am so overjoyed to announce that along with my blog page, I now have a safe space to share, inspire, love, and grow!

Run Before You Fly Private Facebook Group with Suzanne Swanson 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 💛.

#mindsetiseverything #keeprunning #hopedealer

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What If?

WHAT IF WEDNESDAY‼️

So today is Wednesday. Some of us will wake up with same mindset that has stolen our joy for years. We will complain. We will start our day with the weight of all the stress we will face today. We will let fear cripple us.

We will scroll through social media… compare ourselves to others, wish we were somewhere different, or think of ways that we could mirror someone else’s life.

I am guilty of it, too. I have had too many Wednesdays where I start my day feeling low, tired, and with a feeling of complete failure.

What if today… we drop all our excuses? What if today is the day you decide to wake up happy on purpose?

What if today is the day you stop letting fear keep you from trying new things and becoming great?

What if today we step out of our comfort zones and take a step toward greatness?

What if today we say yes to treating our bodies how they should be treated?

We make life hard sometimes. We allow others and ourselves to rob the self-worth we all deserve. Start today… and just begin.

What if today is the day we change our life?

Together we can. Amen. ❤️

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Superhero (It’s Not About the Scale.)

It’s Transformation Tuesday!

There is a limit to the amount of misery and crap we will put up with. There is a limit to the amount of mess you can stand in your mind, in your heart space, and in your spirit.

This is not just about weight. I don’t believe in scales.

It’s not about what you weigh. Some of the most beautiful people I know are different sizes, shapes, body structures… and they exemplify who and what true heroes are, and that kindness in this world still exists.

This is about freedom from your addictions, from your toxic relationships, from society telling you one way is better than the next.

I was addicted to food, to whisky, to anything that numbed away reality. I lost hope, I swam in fear… until I took charge. I wanted full transformation.

You don’t need to be a certain size to be worthy. You don’t need to model yourself after anyone other than who your own beautiful soul is. You do need to live with choices you make, good and bad.

I wanted better. I wanted to finally trust that I was woven and spun… purposefully here, to do my job.

My job is to tell you: whatever you think you can’t overcome? You can.

Whomever is telling you that you’re not made for your dreams and aspirations… is dead wrong.

And lastly: you were made to shine. Get a match and let’s go 🔥💥☄️

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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Thanksgiving.

As we approach this season of Thanksgiving, I realize more and more just how much life has given me. Seeing my breath hit the cold air… feeling alive as my heart pumps fast, and my lungs burn… all the time knowing that not everyone gets to do this, and what a true gift it is to be able to be active, and well.

The human body is an amazing masterpiece. Our senses, taste, touch, our eyes to see all that is created wonderfully. We can use our senses for things recognizable, but it’s our hearts that make us the incredible humans we are.

Face all possibilities today with a relentless flow of love and happiness. The dark will always continue to try to conceal our truth within. But the heart know us, and is ever-attentive to allow tenderness and dismiss fear.

Run, work, play and do all things today with an appreciation for your heart. Respond to the call of life and may your presence shine brightly. A loving heart will always awaken the spirit of possibility… go forth and start living!

May all troubled hearts find hope, may the eyes of your heart open… and may today be the day Destiny draws you in.

#hopedealer

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Crossing the Threshold.

At today’s dawn I am awakened with the usual background noise of my head. That old voice starts placing doubt, emanating false scenarios, doing its best to convince me that my symphony of renewal and joy is not possible.

To acknowledge and cross a new threshold is always a challenge. The beauty of our being insists on taking its time. Nothing is rushed, and change only arrives when we abruptly shut the door to our pain, our limitations, and old patterns of behavior.

Receive your threshold as an invitation that whatever comes to you today in great amounts or minimal affirmations is meant to be yours.

Life always remains faithful to us even when grace is invisible. Hope is silent, and glory seems miles away.

Go out and do good today, meet your threshold, and may you feel that you have a great belonging.