One invitation, could change your life
A few years ago, I was having a casual cup of coffee with my friend Trisha.
Out of the blue, she leaned back in her chair and said, “We should run a marathon together.”
Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, I said “Yes! Let’s do it.”
You see, Trisha is the type of person that when she invites you to be a part of something, you can’t help but say yes.
…She is so warm and welcoming, and is constantly opening her arms to invite new people to share experiences with her.
Let’s do this…
I had never run a marathon, much less more than 4 or 5 miles, but I said yes without hesitation. We spent long hours training and pushing each other to do better.
We laughed as we ran, and even cried as we ran.
Trisha’s invitation to run with her, and work towards a common goal, solidified a bond beyond the typical friendship.
Because we were working towards something so challenging, and some might even call it “unattainable,” our combined strength was multiplied.
Race day finally came and I was so excited.
We got off to a running start (like that play on words? 🙂 ), but as time went on, I felt we were dragging….
I began to get frustrated because we weren’t running at the pace that I wanted to, and being the (ridiculously) competitive person I am, I couldn’t stand to do less than my best.
Probably feeling my frustration and the tension, she thoughtfully spoke the words…”go ahead.”
“No, I can’t do that.” I responded.
After all the hard work, and the training together, I wasn’t going to leave her side.
And yet, she continued to nudge me to run ahead and finish the race strong.
So, despite what my gut was telling me, I ran ahead.
I finished the race with a great time, but ended up with a major stress fracture in my right leg.
Even more…
You’d think I learned my lesson, but the following year I decided to run the marathon again. This time, alone.
I thought to myself, “Then I can finally see what I’m made of. There won’t be any chance of potentially getting held up.”
Ugh, I cringe even saying those words, knowing how false my perception of the situation really was.
This time I ran, I ended up taking an entire hour longer than the first time I ran AND I ended up with a stress fracture in my other leg.
So why do I share this story?
First – an invitation can be powerful.
My friend Trisha had been the catalyst to me even accomplishing a seemingly unattainable goal in the first place.
Simply by inviting me to join her in a pursuit towards a seemingly unattainable goal, I was able to check something amazing off my bucket list.
Second…We are built to do hard things TOGETHER. Not alone.
…if you push yourself too hard too fast, before you’re ready, you risk the possibility of injury.
Especially if you try to do it all by yourself.
Fast forward to last week..
We recently hosted a women’s retreat…
Leading up to this date, I had the opportunity to be the one doing the inviting.
Once again, my confidence was lacking….
“Do I really have additional value to add to the lives of these incredible women?”
Earlier in the year, we had set some goals, shed some tears, and shared some incredible aspirations for what we wanted our futures to look like.
It was a wonderful experience… but I wasn’t quite sure what a “follow up session” might look like, so I was hesitant.
And yet, my friend Kari persisted.
“We need to do a catchup day. These women need it. WE need it.”
So we INVITED them, and they came.
The words “Because of you, I did it!” echoed throughout the room.
What can YOU do?
First, remember that YOU could be the reason why someone is able to accomplish something amazing in their life.
Is there someone you’ve been wanting to connect with more?
…and invite them to join you in pursuit of attaining a goal?
Or maybe there’s someone that needs your friendship, and YOUR invitation could be what makes them feel more fulfilled in their life?
We have all been on the outside in….
An invitation can change everything.
So with that… We want to personally invite you to our first annual 2022 WOMEN’S GOAL SETTING SUMMIT!!
We hope you accept this invitation, because one day can change your life.
You in?