I am a Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer with American Cancer Society + American College of Sports Medicine! On Friday, I walked into the testing center, belly full of nerves. I'll admit, I had PTSD from taking my GMATs twice a few years back. Little did I know, I really didn't need my MBA to cultivate the path I'm on now.
I knew I wanted to study and earn this certification. There’s an estimated 16 million cancer survivors – and they really need support! Exercise reduces the risk of recurrence. I am super energized to start working with this population. I can, firsthand, understand the challenges of a cancer diagnosis, treatment + recovery. I will hold space for these brave souls. We will get stronger together. More to come on that front!
In 2012, I was studying hard for the GMATs – I really wanted to go to NYU’s part-time MBA program. They had an amazing concentration in nonprofit management + social innovation. One of the toughest pieces of the GMAT (at least for me) was time. I actually could get most of the questions correct, but part of the challenge was that you really didn’t have much time. You had to act fast. I struggle with cognitive issues and delays + looking back, I was in denial that I needed to request extra time. I thought, what will the school think? They probably won’t accept me if I ask for extra time, etc. The nasty internal narrative went on and on. Well, I never ended up requesting the extra time – and I didn’t do well enough on that darn standardized test to get accepted into the program. Door closed.
Fast forward a bit, I recall trying to balance into Crow’s Pose during a yoga class. The teacher said, give yourself permission to succeed. That concept has stuck with me ever since. So often, we get in our own way. There are seriously endless excuses we can give ourselves for not achieving something we’re interested in achieving. It comes down to the desire + commitment. I’ll often hear, I don’t have time to exercise.
I was recently chatting with my sister, who has one of the busiest schedules I know -- managing working + 3 children with special needs. During this fuller time in life, she has transitioned into in-home workouts – that works for her. She rises early + gets her workout in before anyone else is awake. Right now, she’s doing a program that’s 6 days a week for 20 minutes. I mean, 20 minutes?! I think we all can squeeze that in. I digress a bit.
So, this concept of giving ourselves permission to succeed. What would that look like for you? If you just simply got out of your own way + moved forward into a space that felt energizing to you. Of course, it might be really freaking scary. I get it. Been there. I’m there. I kinda thrive there. But you can do it. If you are doubting yourself, I’m here to tell you – YOU GOT THIS. I BELIEVE IN YOU. YES YOU CAN.
Now, let’s go make this day, week, month, year – the best it can be!