Girl on the run!

My neighbor is a Girl on the run. No, she’s not running from the law. Nor from her past! She’s part of a wonderful program whose mission is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living (girlsontherun.org).

I spoke with her recently to learn more about what the program has done for her, and it appears to have done so much more than simply teach her how to run. In fact, what the program has truly done is given her the knowledge that she can do whatever it is she wants to. That by committing to something, she can make it happen, learn something new, master something, grow, succeed, and more.

In her own words, she is a girl who is much more comfortable reading a book than engaging in any athletic activity. In fact, running doesn’t come naturally to her. And maybe she wasn’t the best runner when she started. But now, I see her running with friends, running with her family, and also running with my 7- and 9-year old neighbors. Her enthusiasm and commitment is catching -- I half expect to see our whole neighborhood on the run at some point this season!

It’s a beautiful example of what can happen when someone makes a commitment to themselves and also openly and happily shares share that commitment with the people around them. It’s inspiring and motivating, and in the end, everyone benefits from supporting her, running with her, and being inspired to also do something for them.

Very often, we make commitments to ourselves that we keep secret and hidden. We do it for a number of reasons. Maybe we’re scared of declaring something and then failing. Maybe we think people won’t understand why we’re doing what we’re doing. However, in keeping something like that hidden, we do a great job of making sure that we’re alone in the process. And in the same way it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to create and support personal change and transformation.

So today, I invite you to think about some commitments that you’ve been hiding and to bring them out in the open. If it’s scary, start with the one person you trust most in life. See how it feels to share it and notice how all of a sudden, by outing your commitments, things start to naturally happen that support you. Before long, I suspect you’ll be “on the run” as well – towards the life that you’ve wanted all these years.