Have you ever done something that stretched you beyond what you ever dreamed imaginable? For me it was competing in triathlons. When I decided to enter my first race, I was unable to swim 25 yards without reaching total exertion, had never ridden a bicycle beyond childhood playtime activities, and had only decided that running was a form of exercise a year prior. Normally, the mere thought of competing in a multisport activity would send me running to a locker room. Heck, watching people play volleyball at a company picnic was my idea of exercise. But I was all about setting new goals and friends who competed in the sport encouraged and inspired me. I told no one about my first race until it was over. Fortunately, I had a first place plaque to accompany my excitement and qualify bragging rights. I competed for the next five years consistently finishing among the top four in my age group. It was a wonderful run – a great accomplishment for me – and when it was done, it was done.

I am still in awe of two dear friends, Jon and Jo Adamson who began competing in the early 80’s and who remain actively committed to the sport. For me, triathlon was an accomplishment, for them it is a passion. Watching them compete is an experience in itself. They connect with the experience on all levels. I recall watching Jon cross the finish line at his first-ever Ironman competition in Hawaii. I wondered if I ever could feel that passionately about anything, and then one day I did. It just wasn’t for triathlon. For me, it was writing.

At the end of a day, the voices in my head are all the company I need. Writing clears the clutter from my brain and molds it into stories. My pen and paper are connected to the images in my mind. From the ordinary to the seemingly ridiculous, pieces of thoughts, sometimes full scenes, flow when I least expect them. And even when I feel disengaged, my internal writer is alert, busily taking notes and ready to kick ass the moment I pick up a pen. Writing is my passion. I do it for me. It feeds my soul. I don’t want to write, I need to write, just like Jon and Jo need to compete in triathlon.

Can anyone write? I believe they can. Can anyone compete in triathlon? I’m living proof they can. Can everyone write or swim/bike/run well, or win a race, or publish a book? Not necessarily, but feeding your soul isn’t a contest. It is doing something that makes you feel good inside – tapping into your spirit – that’s what feeds your soul.

So many people go through life living the “status quo,” never reaching out for what they want. Are you one of them? What’s holding you back, fear? In The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, Julia Cameron writes, “I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow.”

Complete this sentence. I have always wanted to:__________________________.

Now give yourself permission to do it and feed your soul.

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