Imagine doing your favorite activity. Whether it be biking, running, swimming, hiking, or just being outside. Adrenaline full, you make another stride doing what you love. You feel so happy and like nothing can stop you. How often do you get to do the activity that you love? Do you wish you can do it more? Why don't you? Sometimes to do the things you want to do you have to head out the door.
I have been extremely lucky in my life because I have always had someone telling me to get out the door. My coaches have harped and harped on me to always get my run in. Sometimes I still lack motivation. Sometimes I find myself too busy to go out for a run. It’s hard to leave when so many other things are going on, especially when it is such a time consuming task. Even if I go for a short run it will still take me forty-five minutes. Think of how much you can do with that time. You can hang out with friends or finish a homework assignment. Why would you want to get out of your comfort zone?
I like to run because it gets me out of my comfort zone. It allows me to be bold and find confidence I did not have before. It is hard and painful at times but I find that to be one of the greatest aspects. It makes me cry, hurt, sore, and discouraged at times but I wouldn’t do anything else in place of it. Sometimes I forget. I forget that I love it so much with all of its faults and all of its ups and downs. I forget to look at the good times and instead I look at the difficult, heart breaking experiences. I get discouraged. I find myself in a rut of not enjoying what I use to love.
I found myself in a rut not too long ago. I dreaded every run and I didn’t want to spend the time doing the activity. I asked to be a counselor at my high school’s cross country camp months before when I was in love with running. I remember a couple of days before I thought about not going because I wouldn’t be able to work. I thought about how I wouldn’t enjoy it because I didn’t want to run. I got out the door. I picked my lazy butt of the couch and drove three hours to run ten miles a day. What did I find? I found happiness.
In the mist of all my whinnying and pain I found that I just needed to go somewhere new. I needed to figure out why I loved running again. I got out of the door and into the great wild where things are new and clean. I was able to breath and find the happiness that running has brought to me even in the darkest times. I no longer felt anxious about life. I was able to find the happiness and freedom running provided me.
Get out the door. Find why your passion makes you happy. If you get out the door you can find so many new things. When I get out the door I become bold and confident. I find happiness that I had lost before. If you are discouraged remind yourself of the happiness that your activity brings to you. I hope you can find yourself stepping out the door and out into happiness.
