Guys, you won’t believe it! *Well.. actually… you BETTER believe it!* Yesterday I succeeded to wake up at 5.50 am and at 6 am I was already on my yoga mat for another EMPOWER session. And it’s a big one for me considering that only last week I was able to somewhat manage to open my eyes by 6.50-7 am!
Yup… That’s me rocking a headstand in the morning after not having done one in over 11 years! *And, nope, I have no clue why my hubby decided to cut off my feet. He was still sleepy, I guess. Haha!*
Waking up early to squeeze in a 40-minute workout session before heading off to work was THE BEST thing I’ve done for myself in a VERY long while. I felt and still feel like a WINNER! *Damn right!*
It’s quite funny because when I was reading Run or Die by Kilian Jornet later on, something clicked and made me really think. Well read and judge it for yourself:
‘Winning isn’t about finishing in the first place. It isn’t about beating the others. It’s about overcoming yourself. Overcoming your body, your limitations, and your fears. Winning means surpassing yourself and turning your dreams into reality. There have been many races in which I have finished first but haven’t felt that I was the winner. I haven’t cried when I crossed the line, haven’t jumped for joy, and haven’t been swept up in a whirlwind of emotions. I merely had to win the race, had to finish in front of the others, and before and and during the race, I knew and was sure that I would finish first. I knew it was no dream and didn’t think for one moment at any point what would it be like not to win. It was too easy, like a chef who opens his restaurant each day and knows exactly how all of his steaks will turn out. There’s no challenge, no dream to wake up from. And as far as I am concerned, that isn’t winning. On the contrary, I have seen big winners, individuals who have overcome themselves and crossed the finish line in tears, their strength gone, but not from physical exhaustion – though that is also there – but because they have achieved what they thought was only the fruit of dreams. I have seen people sit on the ground after crossing the finish line of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, and sit there for hours with blank looks, smiling broadly to themselves, still not believing that what they have achieved isn’t a hallucination. Fully aware that when they wake up, they will be able to say that they did it, that they succeeded, that they vanquished their fears and transformed their dreams into something real. I have seen individuals who, though they have come in after the leaders had time to shower, eat lunch, and even take a good siesta, feel that they are the winners. They wouldn’t change that feeling for anything in the world. And I envy them, because, in essence, isn’t this a part of why we run? To find out whether we can overcome our fears, that the tape we smash when we cross the line isn’t only the one the volunteers are holding, but also the one we have set in our minds? Isn’t victory being able to push our bodies and minds to their limits and, in doing so, discovering that they have led us to find ourselves anew and to create new dreams?‘
It’s written so beautifully. He hit the hammer on the nail! SPOT ON!
To win can mean many different things to different people. In my opinion, I am a winner because:
– I have an amazing husband, family and friends, and Bella, of course!
– I have a stable job where I can grow, and a great team who supports me.
– I am healthy.
– I am privileged to be able to exercise and get stronger day by day.
– I have a roof over my head and food on table.
– I live in a beautiful country where everything is possible.
– I am able to travel and learn more about the world I live in and other cultures.
What does it mean to you to be a winner?
xoxo
Olena
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candies & crunches 
Awesome post and amazing job on the handstand…you go girl!!! 🙂 I love the reasons you shared about being a winner, I agree with you!! Here are a few of mine…I am a winner because of my wonderful husband/family/friends and sweet 4 legged kiddos. That I have a job even though it can be stressful t times. I am healthy, I am blessed to have a place to call home and a fridge full of good food. I am a winner because I have overcome a few very hard struggles, I am a winner because I never give up.
Thanks for this post, it was great! Have an awesome day! 🙂
Beautiful post!!!! Love all the quotes! Super powerful.
Love the post 🙂 I am a winner because I choose not to give up and to always look towards the brighter side of things instead of focusing on the reasons society THINKS I can’t get “it” done!
To me being a winner is about breaking the mental barriers you set for yourself. The biggest competition I have most of the time in life is my inner voice telling me that I can’t or that I’m not good enough.
Great job with the handstand and I love that passage. I have to get that book ASAP! I think being a winner is all the things you discussed above, plus I’m going to add, being the mom of one pretty awesome toddler. All of those things make me a winner and feel very blessed!
This was really beautiful. Everyone’s version of winning is something different and I think it is important to embrace that. When I first tried to talk my husband into doing races he was hesitant because he didn’t think he was fast. Once he started doing them and realized that the crowd cheers for everyone and pushing yourself to run your own personal best is all that matters, he became addicted. That’s what life is all about!
Good on you for rocking that head stand and waking up at the crack of dawn! Winning and winning. I love that quote you wrote from the book. That’s so true that winning is personal and mental. I feel like I’m winning when I overcome something I didn’t know I could do. It’s like I learn a bit about myself and realize I’m a thousand times stronger than I thought
ok … now THIS is why I love you and your blog! SO MUCH positive energy radiating … and so true! For me the joy of running seems like a never-ending fountain of youth; I am younger than I was 15 years ago because of my new commitment to running and fueling!
I am a winner in so many ways – just like you say, these are the blessings we have and work so hard to maintain, but they are our everyday victories.
Awesome handstand! Love your winner list 🙂 You are sooo positive, it’s catching!
Great post, I read it earlier but didn’t have enough time to really absorb it and to then respond! For me, I have had to realize that winning is subjective, just like being a “runner” or an “athlete”–it really is a state of mind where you just own your accomplishments wholeheartedly. If you get recognition for it, yayhooray. But the most important element is that you are proud of it, whatever it may be.
Bitchin headstand too 😀
Great, great post.
Nice post! I try to win yoga ever class I go to. 😉 I’m very competitive, so I like to win. In work at contests (like the Emmys). At the gym. At races. Etc. But One of the reasons I love running so much is that it’s not just a contest against others, it’s against yourself. It’s against the clock. It’s against your limits. You don’t have to beat others to win at running.
Absolutely love this post! 🙂
Love it! And awesome job with your headstand. I need to go out and get that book. How inspiring! I think in life the main goal is to be the best person you can be – and if you are working a litte towards that everyday then you are winning.
I love this post and love that you shared that little excerpt from the book. I’m so anxious to start reading that — it sounds like he has so many great points and inspiring words!! Xoxo