As I watched Simone Biles make history as the first woman’s gymnast to win two Olympic all-around titles in non-consecutive games, I could not help but think about how courageous she was for taking a pause on her career. In a time when she was the best in the world, she put her mental health over expectations of others. She hit pause because she needed to and look what happened. She not only came back to reach the level she was at prior to the pause but she excelled beyond it, making history.

We are taught that being brave means facing our fear. A brave person will step up and do something they don’t want to do; they push through the scary and get to the other side. We learn this young and carry it into adulthood. This is true. Being brave is being afraid of something and doing it anyway. The thing is, sometimes we’re not honest with what we’re afraid of…

Tuesday night, March 28, I couldn’t sleep. At 7pm I received an email that required a decision. It was an email I wasn’t expecting; a decision I didn’t seek out. Yet there I was, like a traveler making their way through the forest I turned a corner and found myself at a fork. All night I thought through what I should do. Do I continue on the path I had been on? Or do I take this new road and see where it goes? 

What I told myself this morning…I am too tired. It's way too early. I’m still fighting a cold so I should probably sleep in. I ran enough earlier in the week, so I can probably skip today. I’ll run tomorrow instead…

I hate this picture: success pointing in one direction and failure in the other. As if there is some magical choice you can take in life to avoid failing. What a silly and completely ridiculous notion. Failure isn't something we avoid by taking the right route, it's a necessary pitstop along the way. You will fail. It is inevitable. The question is, will you fail at doing the mundane? Or will you fail big, reaching for the thing you want the most? And when you do fail, will you keep going?

So you want to be a doctor? Or maybe an artist? Or do you want to run that first marathon or ultramarathon? Make VP? Make P? Or make your kid pee… in the potty? Whatever it is you want to do…