Broken to GBR Triathlete

I am going to open this weeks blog with a quote from Dwayne Johnson –

“A comfort place is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there.”

Over the past week I have had numerous conversations with friends and clients that have made me realise that often we see our problems, issues that we need to deal with and habits that we have had for years and choose to run from them rather than confront them. We opt to stay comfortable rather than challenge the status quo as its scary, it brings change and involves us being vulnerable. The problem with this is that we stagnate and don’t make the progress that we should or more importantly become the BEST VERSION of ourselves.

I had coffee with a friend this week and we both had to smile as we know that we have put walls up around things that we need to deal with but are both realising that in doing that it affects us physically – personally it causes me to feel sick and not present. Don’t get me wrong we are both strong women and are certainly winning in several areas of our lives and acknowledging we have put barriers up to protect ourselves is awesome, but barriers can’t stay up forever. You can always run but you can’t hide!

Progress takes time and it doesn’t come without some discomfort. Another friend of mine has recently re-joined that gym after nearly a year, it’s taken them that long to get their head back in gear and training again isn’t easy but its baby steps. We all walk our own journey and there is no timeline for tackling things that we find difficult, but the more uncomfortable we get, the more progress we make.

Personally, this week has been like a game of two halves, on one half I am WINNING – business is booming, I have loved fixing people’s injuries and I am surrounded by awesome friends and one very special wife. On the other half I am struggling to keep my head above the water when it comes to facing my own personal battles in the off-season of juggling food and training. It is hard to get into a healthy routine that doesn’t involve me over training and eating too little.

Sarah and I have been talking about this and when I was honest about how tough I was finding it to stay grounded and on track she said to me –

“The thing is choosing not to face this mountain and overcome it would be like putting in all the effort for the world championships and deciding on the start line to quit before the race even begins!”

As I have mulled over that statement I have concluded that we must face our mountains to find FREEDOM and HEALING! Choosing not to would be like turning up to a race and praying for it to succeed without putting in the groundwork and training – something I wouldn’t dream of doing as I know training is fundamental to achieving the results I want.

The problem is growth is uncomfortable and it can get messy; it can bring up feelings that don’t sit well with you and can leave you feeling vulnerable. However the question we need to ask ourselves is –

“Do we value ourselves enough to change and overcome the things that hold us back or do we choose to remain where we are through fear of the unknown?”

It’s not easy to get uncomfortable and I am walking this journey with you and I know that there will be highs and lows, steps forwards and steps backwards, but I know the end destination will be worth it. I am challenging you to join me in facing those walls and mountains. To invest in yourself because you matter!

Swimming today I realised that I am a far cry away from the woman/girl that arrived in Norwich 16 years ago. She was battered, bruised with no self-worth and had completely lost her identity. That Charlie couldn’t see herself happy, successful, loved and blessed. It’s been a battle to get where I am and I have had to make uncomfortable decisions and faced walls I had put up head on, but God’s grace has covered me and I have had the strength to keep on pushing forward.

So my choice will always be to keep pushing through as I am excited to see what the future holds when I am free from the things that currently hold me back! I hope in turn that you are able to join me on this journey and find FREEDOM too.