You are stronger than you think. My husband Drew and I saw these words written on a print of a hiking boot by Rosalie Haizlett when we stopped for coffee this morning.
We were on our way to ride the 11-mile loop around Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains. It is one thing to drive the loop oohing and aahing at the wildlife and beautiful fall foliage. It is another thing to be on a bicycle climbing hills you never noticed before in a car.
My legs were hurting, and my lungs were burning. But I remembered, “You are stronger than you think,” as I powered up each hill.
It is so true. One year ago, Drew and I joined TripleF, a gym where our boys had been training. If I had not done all the hard work getting back in shape, I may not have been able to ride up each of those hills.
As I rode today, I thought about the leaders who are just like me. We spend our days taking care of everyone else, ensuring they have the resources they need to accomplish their goals. Often we forget, or don’t have the energy, to take care of ourselves.
Maybe it is because we feel guilty if our calendar is not booked from sunrise to sunset. Maybe it feels like too much to reflect on when we need to keep pushing forward. Or maybe it is it because (fill in the blank).
This has me thinking about how I can care for leaders in this new season of my life. My goal is to encourage leaders who have lost control of their health to know it is possible to regain it with hard work.
For me, hiking helps. I am often very quiet when something is rattling around in my head. I ponder the thoughts as they form, but I do not verbalize them until I have a direction to head in.
However, when I am out hiking in the mountains, I find that I start to talk more with my companions, and our ideas just start flowing. Good or bad, there is no judgement. Just getting the idea out there and talking about it brings new, better ideas.
I have always been drawn to the mountains, which is probably why Ms. Haizlett’s hiking boot print drew my attention. Throughout the day, I could not stop thinking about the print. When I returned home, I researched it.
Ms. Haizlett says, “This original watercolor art print was created by me during my artist residency at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in June 2018. Spending 5 weeks living, creating, and hiking in the mountains was an extremely empowering experience for me. I created this painting to encourage others to push their limits too. You are capable of more than you know!”
You are stronger than you think. Get outside your comfort zone and day-to-day grind. Go do something you have always wanted to do. The business will be there when you return—hopefully with a sense of peace knowing you are caring for yourself and enthusiasm for the next hill ahead.
And, if you are ever in east Tennessee, look me up. I would love to go on a “walk and talk” with you.
