Superpower Builder: Confidence

Where does your superpower of confidence come from?

Mine comes from many sources, one of which is a deliberate process of challenging myself.

Every year I pick one project or goal that includes doing something I'm not particularly fond of doing but has the potential of making me a better person in the end.?

This year it was running—something I could never bring myself to do. I signed up to participate in a half-marathon and a 12-week prep training course, disclosing to the trainer that I had not had a consistent exercise routine since the start of the pandemic.

Here's how my confidence as a runner evolved in the process:

Week 1: I cannot run more than 1.5 miles without stopping, getting bored, tired, or out of breath. It will never work!

Week 3: I just ran almost 4 miles, and I didn't have to stop. I'm now curious when I'll be able to run 5 or 6 miles.?

Week 8: I completed my first race ever, the 10-mile "Mermaid Run" across Golden Gate Bridge, finishing within the top 25 percentile of all participants.

Week 12: This Sunday, I'm ready to run the half-marathon, despite the horrible weather forecast: cold, rain, and strong winds.

Boost to the superpower of confidence achieved!

To be continued after the race...