Reflections on My Journey

The Power of Self-Care, Setting Goals, and Making Myself Accountable

As I look back at my journey over the past three years, I've discovered the strength of self-care, the importance of setting ambitious goals, and the value of holding myself accountable. Despite the obstacles I faced along the way, I experienced significant personal development and positive change.

The Power of Giving Back: How Volunteering During COVID Transformed My Life

A pivotal moment for me was during the COVID pandemic, when I decided to give back to my community by volunteering as a crisis supporter for Lifeline Australia. Little did I know that this choice would set me on an unexpected path. One day, during lockdown, I took my son to get some fish and chips for dinner by the beach. This was during the time when we were allowed to go outside for an hour. While there, I noticed an elderly woman sitting alone and looking upset. I asked her if she was okay, and she confided in me that it was the anniversary of her son's suicide. I didn't know what to say, but I stayed with her and listened.

That day, I learned the power of simply being there for someone during a crisis, offering a listening ear and being present for them. It showed me the impact that helping a stranger in need can have, not just for them but for me too. My son still remembers that day, and we often talk about it when we walk past that same park bench. From then on, I was determined to help others in crisis, and I discovered firsthand the impact that offering support can have.

The Value of Self-Care

While volunteering as a crisis supporter at Lifeline Australia, I learned about the vital importance of self-care. It's easy to become so focused on helping others that we forget to prioritise our own well-being. I was an avid sports enthusiast growing up, but after having kids, my focus shifted, leading to unhealthy habits and weight gain. At one point, even climbing stairs left me out of breath. It was then that I realised the need to prioritise my own self-care. I decided to take up running as a way to regain my fitness and well-being.

During my journey, I've had people ask me to join runs or start a run club, but I politely decline. This is because I see running as a form of self-care and a personal space for me to unwind and clear my mind. It may seem selfish, but taking care of oneself is never selfish. Having this space allows me to be at my best for various situations in life, such as work, family, and supporting Lifeline. Therefore, it's important to prioritise self-care and find a space to reset and support yourself so that you can better support and care for those around you.

The Power of Setting Big Goals

Taking up running has been a challenging, yet significant goal for me. I remember the moment when I started my first run three years ago, but after only one kilometer, I was in pain and gasping for breath. Despite this, I remained determined to improve my abilities and become a better runner.

Along the way, I faced various obstacles, such as poor cardio fitness, runner's knee, IT band issues, and hip problems. To avoid being one of the 70% of runners who experience injuries or niggles every year, I educated myself about the sport.

I achieved several milestones, including running my first marathon, completing a 100 km ultra marathon within the first year, and running my first 100-mile event last December. The process was a daily struggle, both physically and mentally. However, the journey was worth it as it taught me how to push through pain and self-doubt, make sacrifices, and step out of my comfort zone. Running has transformed me, and I continue to learn something new about myself every day.

Creating new habits is never an easy task, and I must admit that this journey has been a challenging one. However, I believe that discomfort, vulnerability, and the possibility of failure are all essential parts of the process. We must push ourselves outside our comfort zones and redefine what we perceive as failure. Otherwise, we limit our growth and miss out on valuable learning opportunities. By embracing vulnerability and facing setbacks head-on, I've found that I can fast-track my learning and development.

The Importance of Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is a vital factor in our lives. I learnt that seeking external validation was not the key to feeling good about myself; instead, I needed to trust my own abilities. So, I started practicing self-affirmations and reminding myself of my accomplishments, no matter how small they were. Building self-confidence was not an overnight process, but the outcome was worth the effort. I discovered that the more I believed in myself, the more capable I was of taking on new challenges and trusting my future self to navigate whatever life throws at me.

Making Myself Accountable

Achieving significant goals goes beyond merely setting them; it necessitates developing daily habits and establishing accountability. To increase my chances of success, I knew I needed to make myself accountable by sharing my goal of running my first 100km event and fundraising for Lifeline. Through this experience, I discovered how easy it is to become sidetracked and remain within one's comfort zone. The accountability measures I put in place were critical because they motivated me to continue pushing forward, even when training became difficult. Knowing that others were following my journey kept me on track and inspired me to make changes to my habits to achieve my objective.

I often emphasize at work that "outcomes matter." Taking pride in our work and how it can add value to the stakeholders we serve. To achieve this, we frequently need to make ourselves accountable, and this mindset has grown over the years as a result of participating in this sport.

Leadership Lessons: Setting Big Goals, Fostering a Safe Environment, and Embracing Failure

My mindset towards training has changed my outlook on leadership and the leader I want to be. By setting big goals, creating a safe environment for my team to come on the journey, regardless of whether we achieve the goal or not, and encouraging my team to push boundaries and be comfortable with failure. We learn from those failures to further improve ourselves and our team, as long as we keep moving forward and not let the fear of failure hold us back.

I have learned that often, our biggest critic is ourselves and our own mindset can hold us back. The fear of failure, vulnerability, and discomfort can limit our potential. As a leader, I strive to create an environment that fosters growth and development for my team, helping them navigate their self-doubts and reminding them that failure is a necessary part of the learning process. I encourage them to push new boundaries and embrace setbacks, as this tells me they are learning and growing.

The Benefits of Running

I’ve found running has numerous benefits, both for physical and mental health. Apart from helping to keep the body in shape, it has boosted my creativity. My team often hates when I go for a run at lunch as I come back with a number of new ideas and projects focused on how to disrupt what we are doing and continue to add value to our stakeholders. We are so distracted these days, as we are often plugged in with technology, the power of just going for a run, not being distracted, allowing the conscious and subconscious brain to form new connections has amazing benefits, both physically and mentally!

The Evolution of My 'Why': From Running to Leadership and Beyond

My "why" has evolved as I've grown and developed myself. Running has not only been a form of self-care for me but also a way to explore leadership and the mindset needed to achieve big goals, be vulnerable, embrace setbacks, pivot when necessary, and learn to let go of things beyond my control.

I'm not focused on achieving specific times or places in races. Instead, I'm interested in understanding the mind-body connection and embracing the unique challenges and experiences that come with each race. I enjoy pushing myself beyond my comfort zone and seeing what my body and mind can accomplish over 24 hours or longer.

I've learned so much about myself physically and mentally through these difficult moments during races. The challenges have given me the tools and mental resilience to face whatever life throws my way. I recall a quote by Mike Tyson, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." It's easy to have a plan around self-care, failure, and resilience, but until you're in that vulnerable moment where your inner voice takes over, you won't know how you'll react. Participating in these events helps me prepare for whatever challenges life may bring and remind myself to have the resources available to overcome them.

Embracing the Challenge: My Mindset for Next Weekend's Endurance Event

My current headspace for next weekend's event is one of looking forward to the challenge and learning through the experience. I've learnt that the hardest part of this sport is not the actual race, but the 16 weeks of preparation leading up to it. It's not easy putting in the kilometers and the discipline needed during training, running on days when you don't feel like it, getting comfortable with being bored, and not listening to music or podcasts during a 4-hour run. It's about being comfortable with the thoughts and how the mind works when you free it from the daily distractions and the sacrifices you often need to make each day.

Even though I feel I'm at my peak fitness, there is every chance that I might not finish the race next weekend. I'm comfortable with the fact that anything can happen, and there are so many variables that go into this sport that can prevent you from finishing. But I will not let one day define how I feel about my current headspace. I'm proud of the achievements I've had during training, and I accept that sometimes things happen that are outside of my control. I will not let a result define me. What pulls me down can only make me stronger. The things we can control are how we think and feel, and I trust that whatever life throws my way, my future self can navigate it.

What's Next?

When people ask me about my passion for endurance sports, I often break it down into several key components: the physical training, the mental aspects of the sport, nutrition, recovery, and race day strategy. Over the next few days, I'll be sharing my experience and insights on these topics, and how they have influenced my mindset and leadership.

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