You Are The Good In Someone’s Life
Dear Collective,
It’s already March. We are turning our monthly focus toward courage. Usually, when we think of courage, we think of the people excelling in the space we are scared to even be in. Standing up to oppression, fear, and abuses when every fiber of our being says quit. This can make life feel very difficult. Sometimes nothing good happens for you, because you are the good that is happening for someone else.
We often forget that we have the capacity to be a beacon of light or a positive force for someone else, regardless of how we’re feeling. Real courage is the ability to recognize that when things aren't going your way, when you're down, frustrated, or life feels like a "mess," you still have a job to do for the people around you.
I’ve spent the last few years coaching 3-5-year-olds in Thunder Soccer. It was in those sessions that this really started to click for me. It didn’t matter if I had a "good" day or a "bad" day. My impact on those kids was going to be exactly the same regardless of my personal drama. I didn't need to put them through my struggles. For some of those kids, I might be the only positive thing that happens in their entire day. I can’t confirm they’re always having fun, but I know that my role is to show up and be the "good" in their world for that hour.
That is where courage comes in.
When multiple things don't go our way, the standard human response is to let our attitude follow the struggle. We get angry. We get frustrated. We want to pull the blankets over our heads and stay under the covers of our own problems.
But courage is the choice to say, "Instead of getting angry about what isn't happening for me, where can I do good for someone else?"
This week, I want you to look for opportunities to be the good:
When the "feels" get heavy and things start to go sideways, take a "second thought." Don't let your attitude spiral with the circumstances. Sometimes a few deep breaths make all the difference.
In the gym, in your home, or in the neighborhood, be the person who holds the door or offers the encouragement you wish you were getting. If you want nice things for you, put good things into the world. You might not be getting your "win" today, but your presence might be the win someone else needs to see to keep their own masterpiece moving.
Developing courage is a slow, atomic process. It’s the decision to stay in the room and be useful even when you really want to bolt. Let’s stop waiting for things to go our way and start making things go better for each other.
When in doubt, Chance the Rapper once said, “Everybody is somebody’s everything; nobody’s nothing.”
With Strength and Courage,
Charlie
We, The Collective Fitness