Sometimes we need to step out of our shells. When we get confused and think we don't know who we are, we need to realize... maybe our mask just doesn't fit us anymore. Maybe we need to take it off and become a new person. We don't need to know who we are or who we want to become all the time. That's too much pressure. We just need to know that we can start all over again at a second's notice. It's as simple as stepping out of our shells and into the sun. When we do so, we live. We grow.
Recently I've been completely reborn. I'd hit a low because an injury kept me from competing with my swim team - an injury caused by over-working myself no less. I've still got to be careful, but I've recently been given the "go ahead" to get back in the pool. I've been working on strengthening my shoulder muscles by doing repetitive and often (admittedly) tedious exercises to ensure that I don't have a repeat of my shoulder injury. While I was in my rut, I had absolutely no motivation and was periodically depressed. It got to the point where I couldn't even identify what defined myself. I never want to revisit that.
My new motto: Small steps. Even when I feel ready to go out and work myself to the point of exhaustion, I need moderation. On the way to the top I have to climb every step unless I want to risk tripping, slipping, and tumbling my way back down to the bottom. By taking each step carefully and with confidence, I'll build myself up to be a strong, smart, unstoppable athlete.
"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop." - Confucious
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