Doing the hard things. Part 2.

It’s a great quote… worth repeating…

“If we always choose comfort, we will never learn the deepest capabilities of our mind or body.”

Wim Hof

Well. I did it. I walked into Okanagan Lake on November 17, 2020. I walked confidently and boldly and it was amazing. I felt every cell of my body come alive. I was alive.

I had a short amount of time to write Part 1 of this blog so let me digress a bit. Leading up to this moment I travelled through a gambit of emotions and mind numbing noise. Fear. Anxiousness. Nervousness. Excitement. Anticipation.

Anticipation. Let’s visit that one. What was the hardest part of this entire process was without doubt, hesitation or question… the anticipation. Part 1. Part 1 is what sometimes holds us back from doing the hard things. From committing ourselves to follow through. To step up. To step out. Anticipation can be a glorious part of our process. But it can also be the detriment. We can allow the anticipation to consume us and control us. But as I mentioned in part 1. It is only temporary. The anticipation is ALWAYS temporary. Because regardless of how the story ends, the anticipation will end. It has too. Whether it is a happy ending or a disappointing ending. Anticipation passes and the deed… the experience… is done.

In this case, the story had a good ending. I did what I set out to do. And what an amazing experience. What a ride. I didn’t walk in to that water and let loose a string of expletives that would make a trucker blush. I didn’t walk in and scream like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert. I walked in and thought to myself, I can do this and it is doable. I can and I will and I did.

I walked in and I felt cold. I felt courage. I felt strength. I noticed the clarity of the water enveloping my body. The softness of the sand at my feet. The fresh scent of the air entering my lungs. Breath in. Breath out.

In this moment, everything stopped and my mind became still. And it was beautiful.

I can do the hard things.

And I noticed the laughter. The team of misfits that walked with me. Led me. Thank you Thank you Thank you.