Category: Self Love

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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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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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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 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.

Sign up to hear from Suzanne via email here.

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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.

Sign up to hear from Suzanne via email here.

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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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Shaken or Grounded?

Are you shaken, or grounded?

Arising to face the day can meet us each with a choice. Do we allow things to shake us upside down and apart? Or can we root deeply into the earth and ground ourselves?

I know for me… ridiculous thoughts, unhealthy patterns, and toxic people will continue to try to seep through my protective barriers in hopes of initiating unsteadiness and crumbling my solid footing.

Stumbling a bit is okay. Actually, it’s quite necessary in the grounding process. We are not meant to do it right all the time. We are not meant to be perfect.

We are meant to receive daily grace, find acceptance in the beautifully broken, seek only those who better us. This is how we land at the place where we will root our foot and ground ourselves in what we believe in and fight for.

If you move about awkwardly today… it’s okay.
If you are unsure and stumble a bit… it’s okay.
If you aren’t sure why you’re here or where you’re going… it’s okay.
But when you feel like the moment is right… ground down… plant your feet… release all that is not serving you.

Allow all that has shaken you to dissolve… and find the steadiness you deserve.

So… shaken or grounded❓ You choose… 👈🏻

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Unpack It.

What are you carrying around with you today? My journey has taught me that the load I was carrying was far too heavy.

The things I packed in my heart and my bag of life weighed me down, made me lose my footing, and were starving me of vital peace and happiness.

“Running saved my life” is a very true statement. But so did learning to unpack my bag, look at its contents and steadily decide what I was keeping and what I was discarding.

We carry so much around that only hinders our progress and our purpose. We let toxic people infiltrate. We let naysayers impose an opinion we didn’t ask for, and we let societal nonsense halt the true path of what our creator intended for us.

Today, pack your bag with only the items that will aid you to rise. Leave room for only the things that bring joy and hope. The obstacles, the trials, the demons, the indecency of others, they no longer fit.

Leave space for love. Leave space for dreams, and lift your new packed bag of life with a smile and an all knowing that this bag is taking you places… 🧡

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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Why Not Wednesday!

Why not wake up today and decide today is the day you change your life?

Why not wake up today and decide today is the day you cut the excuses?

Why not wake up today and decide you are going put to rest doubt and fear?

Why not wake up today and forget the scale, forget the harsh screams of others and just be wonderfully you?

Why not wake up today and smile and wave at all them haters and naysayers?

Today is yours. The work is hard, and the road may be long, but the journey, every paved and unpaved mile will teach you something valuable. Set out to find gratitude in each mile.

Have acceptance in each setback, and have hope for every victory yet to come. Someone is watching you.

Show them kindness, teach them love, and let them in on your successes.

Bitterness need not apply. Now let’s go smash some pavement… after all, it is Wednesday!!

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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