mindfirerunner

Sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of life trying to do it all alone. There are times when we need someone else to lean on though. We need that person to help guide us through, give us feedback, and tell us to “snap out of it”. A friend of mine is running the Leadville 100 and the pacing information the race provides gives a lot of insight into life itself. There are instructions on how to lead, follow, get out of the way, be encouraging, be stern; all things we need someone to do for us at times.

I’m the worst at asking for help. I tend to withdraw and hide away when I need help the most. If no one can hear me or see me, then no one will ask and I can sort through life and try to figure things out on my own. But I will admit that I am grateful for the person that steps in and says “It’s time to let me help you”. I’ve always been a very independent person and have always felt that my successes and my failures should rely solely on my shoulders. Life is beginning to teach me along the way. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to ask for feedback. It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength when we can push our independent egotistical selves aside and seek someone to lean on.

As runners there are other runners that we can lean on. We look to them for motivation and inspiration. We look to our coaches to pull on the reigns and make us check in and give them feedback. We need family members to help watch kids so we can escape the chaos and run free on back country roads, and we need people to sometimes just say “Good job”. But as much as we need these people in our lives, they need the same from us.

So, as all of you have made your New Year’s resolutions and are determined by every force of nature to stick to them, know that it is okay to ask for help. Know that there is someone you can lean on and someone who needs you to lean on as well. Life can toss us back and forth and sometimes we just need something to steady ourselves against to keep going.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”  ~ Albert Einstein