Digging Deep and Leaning In

As some of you may recall, my oldest son Brolin, from Uganda, had dreams of going to the 2018 Olympics as the first African snowboarder.

And here’s his and our story. Often we create a vision and work toward it, but the demons of self-doubt are never far away (I know this feeling all to well). Am I worthy enough, good enough, deserving enough?

Questions abound – how can we allow our fears and the defensive protection of our ego to release enough so that we can dig deep and fully lean in? How can we breathe in that even failure only puts us back to where we are right now – and think of all the learning we’ll have had along the way?

In 2017, that’s where Brolin was – working the plan, but the mental (and sometimes physical) speed checks before going off a jump still popped up. Those speed checks come in all sorts of forms – procrastination, anxiety and unconscious self-sabotage. And sometimes FATE intervenes with a health issue, accident, financial crisis, etc. saying, “If you truly want this, you’re going to have to dig deeper and prove it.”

As parents, my ex-husband and I used to tell our sons “character is what you do when no one else is looking.” Fate is the same wake-up call, asking “are you ready to believe – irrespective of all of the pressures from the external world?”

Brolin had that fateful moment occur in Kazakhstan at a top world snowboarding event in 2017. His heart had some strange hiccups, putting him in the hospital and pulling him out of the needed competitions to get enough points for the 2018 Olympics.

And it would have been easy to throw in the towel. But, he dug deeper and created a daily practice to let go of many of those internal demons. Over the last two years, while also gaining his masters degree in Public Health, he diligently trained (mentally and physically) and practiced and practiced. His health is stronger than ever, and more importantly, his mental “speed checks” have dramatically diminished. He is leaning in to his dream – with the power, courage and knowledge that whatever happens, he’s giving it his best shot to be the first African to snowboard in the 2022 winter olympics.

And this week at the Red Bull Olympic Qualifier Snowboarding Competition in Australia, he came in 4th!

This is the story behind Six Minutes Daily. It helps remind us everyday to breathe in our courage and breathe out our fears. As we become more conscious of our internal drivers, we can undo old patterns and help those fears disappear (or at least go on vacation to Tahiti for a very long time).

Can you take a few minutes today to allow yourself to breathe in deeply, relax and give every cell new oxygen? Breathe in the Value that helps you smile and connects to your deepest knowing and courage. Consciously breathe out and release old fears that don’t serve you. Then take a couple of minutes to write down your intentions for the day – reminders to yourself that a powerful deeper you is waiting to help. And please, stay in a growth mindset by thinking through and giving thanks to something or someone who helped you along the way.

To learn more about Brolin’s story and to help him make his Olympic dreams to bring Africa to the Winter Olympics in 2022, check out Far From Home and Team Uganda – Go Fund Me.