One of the tracks in my spin class today involved three 30 seconds speeds. “You are in a race” I told them “and you are winning.” “You can see the finish line. It’s in your sights. Now go and get it.” After 30 seconds of speeding I asked “Who won the race?” I raised my hand in the air, but no one else did. “This is not a race against anyone else but yourself” I said,  “now who won their race?” 2 more people raised their hands. Another speed was only seconds away. “If you didn’t beat yourself this last time, beat yourself this time” I told them… GO! I could see the determination in the eyes of my participants. I had lit a flame underneath each of them, and suddenly a fierceness appeared in each of their eyes that wasn’t there before. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE CAPABLE OF? NOW BLOW THAT BELIEF OUT OF THE WATER!” I yelled “we only have 15 seconds left.” My class took off and when the 15 seconds were over I suddenly felt an emotion well up inside of me as I watched them catch their breaths and…. smile.  Exercise is about so much more than being physically fit. It’s about cultivating an inner strength, and pushing yourself beyond your limits. It’s about realizing that your potential is HUGE and LIMITLESS, and that you can do anything that you set your mind to. Suddenly I realized that I had a made a difference in these people lives. Maybe they’ll forget what I said the second they get home…. or maybe, just maybe, I planted a seed.

Where do these limiting beliefs come from?

Today (on my way to teach my spin class) I was met by that little voice that I feel I am in a constant battle to silence. “You can’t do this.” “Look at how exhausted you are right now. You are sadly mistaken if you think that you can keep this up forever.” “You are going to crash.” “You are going to disappoint everyone around you.” “You can’t do this. Who do you think you are?” SHUT UP!!!!

This blog post has been inspired by a video that I came across quite by accident today. If you do nothing else all day, watch this video. If you have ever felt alone, or like you were not deserving of happiness. If you were ever bullied in elementary school, middle school, high school, or in the “adult world”… make sure you have a box of tissues near by. Watching this video planted a seed in my brain, and I want to pay it forward to you. If this video speaks to you, share it with someone you love. Together we can make such an impact. There are so many “underdogs” in the world. So many people who were once told that they were “ugly” or “stupid.” There are so many of us. So instead of wallowing in the insecurities that grew out of our past, lets undo the damage. By looking forward we have that power. Today let someone know what they mean to you.

“You are beautiful.”

It can be so easy. Sometimes defeating that little voice all on your own is hard, but YOU can be the person who makes it even a little bit easier for someone else to realize their worth. You have that power. Here’s the video.

Thank you to everyone who reads this for inspiring me everyday, and helping me to find my own voice. This blog has been instrumental for me in the discovery of my own power, and I owe so much of my growth to the loving comments and e-mails posted by you which seem to find me when I need them most.

I will be relatively absent from this blog for the next few weeks as I prepare for a feature film that I’m doing with my class, but I just wanted to make sure that my absence was preceded by some gratitude. I am so grateful to you. Thank you.