Reposted from Abigail Manning

Resilience is often described as the ability to bounce back. I think that's only part of it. I believe it begins in the moment we recognize what our mind is telling us, what our body is carrying, and what old belief may be trying to take the lead. Coming from many hardships in my life, including childhood abuse, trauma, raising two kids alone, and building two S-Corporations from scratch, I learned something important about myself: my resilience comes from mental and physical strength that I've built time and time again, over a lifetime of challenges and choices. That strength did not appear by accident.

Last month, I promised to share how I got started running races, which eventually turned into marathons and triathlons. The short version is this: I was with friends who were runners, and I caught myself saying, "I could never be a good runner." I said it once. Then again. Then a third time. That was enough. I knew it was time to remind myself that I am strong, I like being strong, and I was not going to let that belief run the show. At the time, I did not know how big the challenge would become. I just knew I wanted to prove to myself I could meet my challenges and exceed my own expectations.

To me, being able to call myself a "real" runner meant running a marathon. All 26.2 miles of it. And in my normal fashion, I wanted to raise the bar. My friends said they could not break the four-hour mark. So what do you think I did?! I created a plan. I stuck to my plan. I trained when I did not feel like it and when I did not have any "extra" time. I trained mostly by myself, often on a treadmill while helping my kids with their homework, and occasionally with a running group. I backed off when I was hurt or injured, and I pushed forward when I had more gas in the tank. I did not train with music. I trained with my own thoughts, and I heard them loud and clear. Those Purple Threads told me to quit. They told me I was not a real runner. They told me this was too much work. They told me this challenge was too big for me to achieve. They told me I was a "bad" parent for taking time from my kids to go for a run. So I rewired them into new mantras, new self-beliefs, and new reminders of my mental and physical strength. Because the truth is ... strength builds resilience and resilience builds confidence. It's a cycle, and when we meet our next life challenge (there will always be more), our well earned track record of confidence will tell us we are strong and resilient. Consistently getting after my goals mattered to building my life-long confidence and also, being a good role model for my kids to teach them to do the same. What was the outcome? I ran the Chicago Marathon in 3 hours and 55 minutes ... without music. Only my own thoughts and the energy of the crowd spurred me along. What I learned is simple: Think big, and then think bigger. Don't play small with your life goals. You can do more than you think!

This Month's Thought: Resilience is Awareness in Action ... turn self-doubt into your super-power strength. Make a plan and then get after it!