Intimidation.
To intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another, to make timid; fill with fear.
If we think of this word what usually comes to mind is in regard to people…. one person intimidating another.
That in my opinion, is the lowest form of cowardice however, this isn’t where I’m going in this post.
I want to talk about how we can be intimidated with life or things in life.
Keep in mind part of the definition…. ” to make timid, or fill with fear”
Intimidation is just fear and fear can be crippling to living our life out loud. It can rob us of our potential and the potential for our lives and what we can accomplish.
I contemplated that in a fresh way this past week.
I try not to live my life in an intimidated way on any level. If there’s one thing living an athletic lifestyle has taught me… being intimidated has no place in it. In turn that has carried over into the rest of my life.
Every new challenge or goal has required a level of strength and discipline to stomp down any aspect of fear and intimidation.
The fear of the unknown. Feeling intimidated or inadequate.
Being able to face a physical challenge that ( in the moment) seemed daunting and out of my perceived abilities.
For instance….Learning to run. I know, sounds easy enough, right? But running is hard.
I remember being up to running around 6 miles several days a week when a friend tossed out at me I should run a half marathon.
I laughed. Yet, she had planted a seed. I rolled it over in my head and within a couple weeks I had signed up to run a half marathon a few months later.
Yes, it feels intimidating to look at running a race that’s 13.1 miles. I felt the worry of “what if”.
Yet I toed that line and did my first half in 2:15. I walked away with a new level of confidence and a new awareness that stomping down potential fears would only make me stronger in what I pursued.
It was the beginning for me in my athletic journey… a take no prisoners and don’t even think you can’t do it mentality.
More half marathons, full marathons, a 50K all eventually fell under my feet.
No room for intimidation.
Yet, there I was again facing it this week out on my bike. Ha, cycling has also taken me to a whole new level of finding out what I’m made of.
It’s demanding and requires much strength. Toss in some major hills and it’s even more fun.
For instance, this one particular hill. ( It’s really a mountain they cleared and paved over if we’re being honest) Anyway, it’s a blast flying down it, but it requires a huge amount of strength mental and physical to ride up.
It was a part of my route the other day. I’ve ridden it before but it was always in the front of my mind on my ride… it was coming.
That’s when I realized I was allowing it to intimidate me.
Why? well truth be known, I’m fully aware of the physical demands it requires.
It’s freaking hard. It requires a brutal amount of my strength.
But I know I can do it.. that I have done it… and the way to keep crushing it and putting it in place is to well.. just keep doing it.
Keep heading out there, staring it down and using the same strength I’ve used to muscle through every other challenge and conquer it.
I know every time I do it I will become stronger, mentally and physically.
I will always, of course, have a healthy respect for it. How can I not?
But I’m making a choice to not be intimidated of it. How? I will keep intentionally seeking it out until it begins to feel totally natural to me.
Pushing down fears, taking them head on and not being intimidated with hard things in life builds and strengthens us in ways we can never imagine.
What mountains are in your life that intimidate you or leave you feeling fearful? There’s only one way to overcome it and that’s by facing it and pushing until you have put it under your feet.
Don’t let those things keep you from the potential that lies in you.
sassyfitnesschick 