Guest Blog Post by Kara Johnson, with Level Up Cycle and Fitness

I’d love to start sharing some nuggets with you all…things I have learned myself or am in the process or learning. We’re all about fitness here and I think we can agree it’s not just the physical. So here goes… I hope you feel encouraged.

When I was in labor with my daughter (my second of four kids) I remember getting to ten centimeters and the doctor confirming that it was time to push. It was my first time laboring without an epidural and I suddenly had a wave of fear sweep over me. Fear of the unknown, of what lay between me and the end or goal (my daughter being delivered). In a moment of panic I whimpered, “I don’t know if I can do it”.

Level Up Cycle and Fitness Newberg OregonAt that moment the doctor was facing the sink washing her hands. I don’t know if she realized how profound her next words would be to me. But in a firm voice she replied, “Kara, you’re DOING it.”

That was all I needed. And it has come back to me so many times, in so many moments and seasons since. Sometimes we can can get overwhelmed by the daunting space between where we’re at and where we want to be. Maybe we don’t even see the finish line or know what it will look like (unlike my situation above).

Today, let’s remember that when we feel overwhelmed by or fearful of the next step of our journey, we are often already DOING the thing. It’s always a process and most of the time we have at least positioned ourselves and even taken steps forward. Let’s honor how far we have come and let it speak to our God-given resilience and strength.

Love to you today.

Xo,
Kara

ABOUT THE AUTHOR—KARA JOHNSON

Kara Johnson is a wife, mother of four, musician and, of course, fitness lover. She and two partners own Level Up Cycle and Fitness, a group fitness studio in Newberg, Oregon. Kara finds joy in cultivating mutually uplifting relationships and experiences through group exercise (good beats always help too!). She believes that true fitness is wholistic. It’s about stepping into and fully embracing our best selves and how we are designed, both inside and out.