Chrissie Wellington’s book “Life Without Limits”: Taking a Page…

2009 Ironman Kansas 70.3 ~Me, Chrissie, Ken
My husband and I got to meet Chrissie Wellington at the finish line. She was so energetic and sweet to take pics and talk to the many finishers

It’s funny because I had my blog and title, “Life With No Limits,” way before Chrissie’s book came out, but for some reason I can’t help but feel that it is more than a coincidence.

I just finished reading her book and I would highly recommend it, as it was a magnificent read. It spoke to me and shared related themes of triathlon, adventure, relationships, mental development, mental excellence, and life! She was honest, vulnerable, real, and inspiring, to say the least.

Here is an excerpt from the end of her book, which spoke to me as it relates to the title of my blog, living a “Life With No Limits”

“…it’s being afraid to give it our all in trying that I urge you against…our limits may not be where we think that they are.”

Amen Chrissie! Thank you for reminding us that our light, power, the God in us, is always more dominant than the fearful, scared, and timid part. Also, that there is more power in our experiences that contradicts any fear that you/me may have, which brings me to the second part of her message.

Chrissie shares a key reflection that I often have when I get “stuck” on fears or limits about my life. This reflection reminds me that it’s not always about having things figured out, but instead being open to living in the moment, following that desire and fire in your heart. It is creating who you are and who you want to be out of current choices, decisions, and behaviors and not allowing the past, labels, ethnicity, where you live, or where you are from define you. Doing the next right thing, and truly honoring your self, even in the toughest moments of life.

Like Chrissie, if someone told me in high school, that I, the youngest of three daughters, from a small town in Michigan raised in a single parent home to a factory working mother, would be the first in my family to graduate college and then earn a doctorate degree, be published in scientific articles, travel across the country working with amazing people and the best scientific minds, meet my amazing husband while in Kansas, move to California, and race triathlons with my husband all over the country all while never really knowing how I would get from once place to the other, I would have told them that they were crazy, but that is exactly what happened in a nutshell! While I did not know in high school that all this was to unfold, I did know I wanted something more; that I was worth something more, and I was motivated to make more of myself.  My faith in God and believing there is more in store for me has certainly been at the foundation of my journey and my ability to live Life With No Limits.

So don’t forget how far you have come. Remember your journey and honor your experiences. Be true to yourself and in doing so you live with no regrets. And remember that if you are reading this now you have survived it, you lived through it, you made it, and you will continue to make it through.

Keep reaching for your peak and continue to let your light shine….Shine On!

 

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.