Diary of a Cyclist-Control
What is in your control?
Dr. Michelle: Thanks again for another GREAT email! You really put a lot of thought into all of this and that is how change and growth occurs. Scary but good! 🙂
What is it that bothers you SO much about people not approving of what YOU want to do? Let me ask you this, what would you tell a friend who was in the same situation as you?
The next thing I would ask you to think about is what is (and should be) in your control and what is not? You can only control your thoughts, beliefs, actions, etc. and not those of others. People are indeterminable and just when you think for sure THEY MIGHT BE THINKING one thing they sure enough are thinking completely the opposite. So although you don’t really have any idea what others might think you don’t have control over that. You ONLY have control over taking care of yourself and doing what you think is right for your life, right? But that takes us back to numerous conversations we’ve had…about you taking necessary control and standing up for yourself. This seems to me to be another example of that. What do you think?
My next question would be what is so embarrassing about being an athlete? I believe that taking the risk of becoming a professional athlete whether you make it or not is harder than ACTUALLY being one. So it seems to me that the REAL issue underneath it all might be fear of failure. Are you afraid of trying and failing? And if you fail ‘what will people think of you’? However if you think you are going to fail or set yourself up for failure the chances are better that you will so why not set yourself up to succeed?
As for your parents, have you EVER done anything in your life that your parents didn’t understand or weren’t proud of? Yes of course because at some point throughout our lives we do several things that parents don’t approve of or understand but then what happens? Parents GENERALLY either forget, forgive or come to a better place of understanding. Your life is your life. As long as you aren’t intentionally doing harm or damage to others or the world (and I mean harm or damage) and are doing what you think is right (which doesn’t make it right for others or anyone else) in any given moment then you are doing the best you can…but don’t miss an opportunity that IS important to you. And don’t miss that opportunity because I did and my email hit home but because it sounds important to YOU and your LIFE and something that one day you might regret.
Similar to your coaching situation if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason…but because you chose and decided it wasn’t going to work out or you had another direction you needed to go, then you will, but for now you sound pretty certain about your direction.
Does any of that resonate? 🙂
As usual it’s been another great ride with you! Keep up the good work!
Michelle
