As I work toward my third specialty fitness certification, I’m reminded of the people who have helped me get to this place. I remember those who have motivated me, and I think about those who inspire me. This is easy, because I’m surrounded by them, and all I have to do is look around. I am living my life and doing my work with people who support me – people who believe in me and want to see me win. This has not always been my world. I’ve lived and worked amongst people who didn’t care if I succeeded or not - and worse, those who wished to see me fail. Some, even, who tried to make me do so. I remember them, too. I’m actually on that list. And no, I’m not grateful to them. I don’t look back on anyone who has ever bullied me or tormented me in some way, and think how that helped me become better. That is not what motivates me. It’s always been the ones in my corner who made me want to do better – the ones who wouldn’t let me forget my glow. After all, it was one of Hanuman’s closest companions who reminded him of his power to leap the ocean when it came time to save the princess in the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana. It’s one of my favorite stories about triumph.
Hanuman was a hero – a god with all the power in the universe, but was cursed as a young monkey to have no self-consciousness of that power. He was a servant and great devotee of Ram, who was God in the human form of a prince. One day, Ram’s wife, Sita, was kidnapped and taken from India to Sri Lanka, with an ocean separating them. As Hanuman and his army of monkeys and bears stood on the shore, trying to figure out how to rescue the princess, one of his companions turned to him and said, “Hanuman, you have the power to leap the ocean.” He responded that, “Yes, of course!” he could jump over the ocean, and then, he did. He saved her. As this is very much representative of having faith in ourselves and in the universe, and as Ram Dass says, “the flow of things,” it’s also about keeping people close who will help us remember our strength. When we are down, they lift us up, and when we are up, they help keep us there. They don’t laugh at us, or talk behind our backs. They don’t push us down.
Life is not a game, but it’s better if you have a good team. Find a tribe that believes in you. Hang with those who show you and yours respect. Be with people you admire, and who make you better. And if you find that you are not, move. You’re not a tree. ✌️
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