Category: Perspective

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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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With a Pen in Her Hand

…she is free.

Rest days come in all forms. On the days I know my legs need a break, I take the time to truly focus on how my mind is doing.

Writing is my release. It cleanses me. It is here on a small space between two lines that I can share my personal reflections, say goodbye to the crap that believes it’s still in control, and draw in some perspective.

It is here where I can release all the thoughts that are crowding precious space for new ideas, gentle guidance, or joy to enter.

It is here where I can visualize on paper what I have accomplished with my sneakers, what I have set free from my heart… and sketch my nutritional game plan for the week.

The investigation into our whys becomes the base layer for change. Put ink on paper, feel the pen in your hand, and make a contract with yourself to live better.

Words are powerful, tough, and have tremendous meaning when you take the time to read them… simplify your life… prioritize what helps… and may the pen and paper be exactly the rest you need.

Keep an eye out for “Journal Your Way to a Peaceful Holiday Season.” A mini course Dina and I will be offering to my Run Before You Fly members! Details coming soon!

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #withapeninherhandsheisfree

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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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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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Thankful Thursday

With the season of Thanksgiving approaching, I know our minds are busy with all the upcoming festivities that it brings.

We make lists, plan our meals, and dust off the “good dishes” for their once a year place setting, and we rush through the craziness.

Today I challenge you to slow down, and think about one thing you are thankful for.

If it’s a person, call them and tell them.

If it’s a place that keeps your heart alive, and your soul happy… take your mind or your physical self there. Simply relish how this place settles all the madness in you.

Thankfulness can be hard if we let unkempt thoughts, the manipulative actions of others, and leftover pain or grief stay simmering on the back burner.

Today I am thankful for the gift of my words; and how, to me personally, it is a God-given gift bestowed on me.

I’m thankful to carefully place the words of my head to your hearts for healing, with a desire to change the world.

“The best time to be thankful… is always”

I would love for you to leave a comment about what you are thankful for today.

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY

#thankfulthursday

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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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Faith and Timing

Faith and timing. These two words are thrown around plenty. But are we trusting in both to guide us to our greatest moments of fulfillment?

We all want the easy road. The path of least resistance. The quicker result, the fast-track model, now, rush, instant gratification, the “I need it yesterday” mentality.

Everything comes in His timing. My path, my journey has been painfully slow… with setbacks, rollovers, do-overs and slow motions.

Faith allows me to get up and keep going. Faith pushes me when I think I can’t… when I’m told I won’t… and renews me with a purpose-filled cup.

All that is happening to me and for me, right this minute, is perfect in His plan, timed with divine purpose.

Don’t be dismayed, do not quit, do not settle, do not try to halt the deeper feeling within you that are fighting to be led to greatness.

You are here now, with an aliveness that is magnificent. You have so much to give, and to be present for.

Let faith be your guide. Let trust be your mantra, and let your soul out of the cage.

Today is the day. Onward, Loves…

#todayistheday #faith #anotherchapterinmybookwritten

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Doing Great

“Sorry, can’t today… I’m off doing great.”‼️

-Suzanne Swanson

We all need this reminder. What challenge do you face today? Life has its cunning way of prompting us to believe that we are not capable of living better, overcoming obstacles, and experiencing greater things.

The truth is: we are not just our personal stories. We are not just our failures and successes. We are not just our addictions and shortcomings. We are not just our PTSDs and our depressions. We are not just our wisdoms nor our lack of knowledge.

We are fighting a battle every day called life. We combat the ways of words and actions of people, ideas, and daily unfairness. We work tirelessly to build our stability, challenge our weaknesses, and strive to be better.

Arm yourself today with good thoughts. Know you are unbelievably loved, and despite the toxic crap that can rain down on you…

“You are doing great.”

Say it until you feel it, believe it, and see it.

Spread hope like a virus, and know you are not a “just”… you are more!

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Sunday Blessings.

Sundays for me represent my meaning of life. The quiet of the morning, the first sip of coffee, the alone time on the couch to really sit and think.

We see people’s lives on social media and we scroll. We ask, “Why can’t we have what they have?” “Why is she lucky?” “Why is he so successful?”

The truth is no one is without injury or suffering. Everyone has their deepest hurts, regrets, and shortcomings buried deep in their own pillows and closets of life.

It’s easy to get down in this current world situation. Society is a mess… full of racism, bigotry, hate, rebellion, censorship, riots, unpatriotic behaviors and the list goes on… we must align our actions to be as good as our intentions.

Today, I get to flip blueberry pancakes in a little farmhouse that I love. I get to run on roads whose school bus drove my kids to school. I woke up on a lumpy mattress that I wouldn’t change for the world, and share my coffee with someone who is a steady hand of kindness and goodness.

I don’t have a yacht, I don’t have a big bank account, and I don’t care… because what I do have is worth more than any zero on a check.

My life is messy, my brain is a chaotic mess half the time, but I am happy… I don’t need more or better. I don’t need fake or unrealistic.

God gives me just what I need… Every. Single. Day. Reflect on what your blessings are today… that is all.

#sunday #blessings #smilemore

Stay in Touch with Suzanne

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

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Show Your Face to the Morning.

Some of us today will wake up with a sense of uncertainty.

We will walk down the hall with the same inner conflict we have every day since we can remember.

Some of us will wake up today hungover, ashamed and with a deep disgust within ourselves that we yet again let substance win over our truest longing for sobriety.

Some of us will wake up hiding the cookie package, crumpling the chip bag, hearing the screams of defeat echo that “you’ll always be fat and unhealthy.”

One of us will have woken up after standing up to a bully, deciding that today they will no longer have power over you.

One of us will have prayed for the first time ever… hoping for just one miracle teetering on the brink of a rock bottom.

One of us will wake up and draw the curtains open for the first time in a decade… unsure if the anxiety will let them outside for even just a minute.

One of us will need a friend today. One of us will have a huge victory, and of us will no doubt have a setback.

Whomever you are, wherever you are… draw the shades, let the light in, let the bad shit out. Own it, claim it, trust it, and move through it.

Rise on up… show your face to the morning.

Show up uninvited to all the places within you trying to hold you back. Today matters, and so do you 🌻.

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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…