Somehow I have become an inspiration
for Some who say “How?”
They look at me and say:
You’re so good.
I wish I had your motivation.
How do you do it?

Lake Hāwea, 9th April, 8.05am

They often say this kind of thing when they see me come back from a morning run, red cheeked, bright eyed, nose dripping, yellow woolly hat on head. Smiling.
It may well be minus five degrees outside. That’s celsius in New Zealand, for those who didn’t read my post last week. 😊
They say the words with wonder and yearning
as though I have something special that they don’t.

Lake Hāwea, 10th April, 7.19am

I don’t have anything special.
Or perhaps I should rephrase that to:
We all have something special.
I, like many of us, have spent my whole life with a negative self talk radio station on non stop in my head, so it’s important to catch those destructive words before they spread the darkness.

Gladstone Range, 10th April, 6.48am.

How do I do it? You want to know?
I follow my heart.
I would never say that out loud though if you ask me for encouragement and motivation. I only say it here in the safety of the Substack page.
Because when you start talking about your heart it can come across as a bit wanky or woo wee. And then people run a mile, which is good if you want to start running I guess.
How annoying having someone with a yellow woolly hat on and a smile on their face tell you to Listen to Your Heart! when you just want to roll over and pull the blankets up over your head.

Gladstone Track, 10th April, 7.14am

But it’s true!
Your heart is what calls you to action if you are quiet and listen.
Listening to your heart will make your life better. More rich, more meaningful.
When you are down on your knees it’s the thing that will save you.

Oh you’ll find plenty of excuses not to listen. If it’s running you want to do, it will definitely be raining, or snowing, a heat wave or a gale force nor westerly, your Hokas will need replacing, and besides, you have a meeting at 10.
I am not very tolerant of those excuses. There are no excuses. Put on another layer if its cold for f***s sake!
If you pause in that moment when you are questioning your motivation, your heart will speak louder than your excuses.
The heart call will create the foundation for your day.
Whether it’s writing or swimming, biking or baking, yoga or singing, painting or preserving the autumn harvest, whatever calls for you.
You have to do it. Because life fucking passes by.

Gladstone Track, 10th April, 7.15am

What are you running from?
Someone asked me once.
I am running towards.
I reply.
Towards a state of Being
which I can find
when I am following my heart.

I don’t run to be Good.
I don’t set out with a pace monitor
or a personal best time in mind.

I run because I love it. Because it’s so much more than the run.
It’s my time to connect with what’s important and disconnect from the mental chatter. Oh the head f***s that I have left behind on the paths of New Zealand.

I pause and take photos of scenes that take my breath away. I run slowly, enjoying the gentle movement and how it works for me and my body. I listen to music or bird song or waves rolling in and out.
I have re framed my run
to suit my purposes.
It may not be a fit for all. You will find your thing that no snowstorm or important meeting will stop you from doing. You will find a way.

I have never done a“ How to” post and this isn’t one of them.
Those sorts of posts are usually from an expert with letters after their name.

I’m no expert.
Hang on. Re-frame that self talk.
I am an expert.

You become an inspiration when you follow your heart
day after day
year after year
despite the challenges
and in fact because of the challenges.
It’s where you find yourself.
Perhaps that’s what others see
when they ask “how can I?”

Thank you for reading and have an inspiring week. ❤️

with love
Jo xx