Dare to Try
Would you rather be wrong about thinking you cannot run a marathon or right and actually run a marathon? Let’s chat…
2 minute read
Would you rather be wrong about thinking you cannot run a marathon or right and actually run a marathon?
Let’s chat about how just because you don’t think you can’t do something, doesn’t mean it’s true.
Adventures have given me the opportunity to share my journeys and connect with people young and old, near and far. As an H2O for Life ambassador, it has been incredibly rewarding to see students take the message and run, walk, dance, craft, build, or do whatever is in their power to help with the global water crisis. There are also times where the very message I share, intended to encourage, uplift, and inspire is received with people sharing their doubts, fears, and limiting beliefs.
The discouragement often would be, “I could never run a marathon”. Naturally, my next question would be, “Oh, you’ve tried? Which one did you try?”
No one.
Not one single person.
Never has anyone who shared this belief dared to try.
No one who has run a marathon did it without actually attempting it first. It is physically impossible to run a marathon unless you try. You must be willing to try, which means you must be willing to fail. Doubts need to be set aside to uncover and discover what is true and what is fear covering truth.
“I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail, than to attempt nothing and succeed.”
I recently watched an uplifting movie based on a true story of someone who believed that they couldn’t run a marathon and later found out they were wrong. It is not the first time and it will not be the last time you hear a story like this one. That story can be yours. Maybe it’s not running, but whatever “your thing” is.
“You must be willing to give up what you are, to become what you want to be.”
To everyone who has ever told me that it would never be possible for them to run a marathon, I hope you are wrong. I was. Maybe it’s not a marathon, but another “I could never…” limiting belief that might not be true. Daring to try is a part of the process, and makes crossing that finish line all the more rewarding.
I believe in YOU even and especially when you don’t. Your version of extraordinary is on the other side of trying, sometimes failing, and always trying again.
Is there something you’ve always told yourself that you couldn’t possibly do?
How can you accept failure as part of the process instead of a personal failure?
What would be the first step towards discovering your own possibilities?
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Hope Knows No Boundaries
Love and hope are powerful feelings. You can fall so in love with a person or place, that you’re no longer the same and…
3 Minute Read
Love and hope are powerful feelings. You can fall so in love with a person or place, that you’re no longer the same and a small piece of you is forever connected, no matter the time or distance apart. Africa had a way of getting into my heart and remaining there to this very day.
When I learned about the global water crisis, I knew I wanted to get involved. After raising $150,000 for clean water projects during my solo across the Atlantic, I was eager to help build and visit the water projects. Fast-forward a year later and I am in Kenya for a month-long trip to visit projects and help build them. It was exciting to see that change was possible and encoring to know that there were solutions with lasting impact.
It was also incredibly overwhelming.
I felt deflated thinking how every one person we helped, there were a hundred or maybe a thousand more we could never reach. I felt more overwhelmed than I felt running 100-miles or covering thousands of miles on the bike. I was running low on hope.
Loud bursts of laughter from a group of children got me out of my head and caught my attention. I was curious to find out the source of joy these children so deeply felt. I just had to find out.
I looked down at the ground to see rusty wire. Dusty bottle caps. Bits of string tied together. Essentially, I looking at what most would consider a pile of trash.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Charles and all his friends would scavenge through the trash, finding any useful bits, and make their very own toys. They weren’t waiting for someone to help them or show them the way. They weren’t wasting a moment to discover joy in what they had in front of them even if it didn’t come in a shiny package.
My heart was so touched by their spirit to take what most would consider to be useless and turn it into something beautiful.
Pain was real, but so was hope.
Hope was not gone but smiling right back at me.
Hope was possible in places & in ways that it didn’t seem to belong.
Remembering them — their laughter, pride, and smiles — always gives me that warm feeling deep within. They helped me see that that there is still light in dark spots, and that, in fact, light shines brightest in the darkest places.
If Charles and his friends can hold onto hope in dark spots, so can I. My hope is that you are encouraged to know, as Charles and his friends so beautifully reminded me, that even if we have nothing left in this world but hope, that is enough.
Just like Charles turned trash to treasure, Coasters for a Cause is all about turning up-cycled nautical charts into gifts to buy and share. All proceeds go to a clean water project in Ethiopia. More than $1,000 has been raised for the water project thanks to everyone who ordered Coasters for a Cause.
Still holiday shopping? Consider placing an order for handmade up-cycled nautical coasters with all proceeds helping a project in Ethiopia!
PROJECT UPDATE: Preparations are underway for the clean water project in Tanzania that was funded by Run4Water. Here are some things the field team has been working on:
Translating training and community engagement manuals into Swahili.
Introducing the model of “Vision of a Healthy Village” (VHV) to local villages.
Preliminary hardware designs for water points.
Connecting with local churches and religious institutions for support.
Recruiting and hiring more staff on the ground.
I hope you are just as excited as I am to see all the real, sustainable change God has planned for these families!
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Sisters4Water: Meet These Water Warriors
Endurance has been a gift in my life. Endurance can be a tool to lift others up out of a life of poverty, but also a tool to inspire others.
4 Minute Read, 7 minute Video
Endurance has been a gift in my life. Endurance can be a tool to lift others up out of a life of poverty, but also a tool to inspire others. Part of that gift of endurance is sharing it with others so that they can take the message and run. Or, weave.
Inspiration has the power to create change. Not just a feeling, but a force that can be channeled for good.
In 2011, I was invited to speak at the Chautauqua Institute. This summer resort is nestled within 2,070 acres on the shores of Chautauqua Lake, NY, with lectures, performing arts, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. After sharing my presentation at the Hall of Philosophy, I met two lovely young ladies, Ella & Mabel.
Learning about the water crisis made me feel inspired to act, and now they were inspired, too.
Since 2012, these two compassionate, committed, artists and activists have created have formed Sisters4Water, where they are devoted to changing the world, one potholder at a time.
They use their hands and hearts to make potholders, all with donated materials so that 100% goes directly to H2O for Life. To date, they’re raised $14,000 to fund projects in Malawi, Kenya, India, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Ethiopia. They are currently raising funds for a water project right here in the states, Navajo Nation in New Mexico for 5 water storage tanks.
Meet the water warriors behind Sister4Water and their journey from inspiration to action in a short interview:
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself:
We are artists and activists devoted to changing the world, one potholder at a time. This is our ELEVENTH year weaving potholders in support of water rights. All of our materials are donated, so every penny we make goes directly to H2O for Life. The potholders are 100% cotton, made from loops from Harrisville Designs, a mill in New Hampshire. Therefore, they are entirely made in the USA! This is Ella's eleventh year weaving potholders and Mabel's seventh. Last summer we raised $6,600 for the 1872 students and 18 teachers of Matsimbe Secondary School in Malawi. We have raised over $14,000 since 2016! Our current project is Navajo Nation in New Mexico, where our $1,800 pledge will provide 5 water storage tanks.
2. Why water? What was your turning point from idea to action?
You are really the reason we’ve chosen water! We still remember in your speech how a hamburger takes 650 gallons of water to make. Water is so integral to our survival. We need it for sanitation, cooking, drinking… everything! And during a pandemic, with all this constant hand washing, where would we be without it? Once we realized how important water is, it seemed obvious that water was what we wanted the center of our activism to be.
3. What was the biggest wave that came your way on your journey?
Our biggest wave was probably being invited to the 2018 Water Ball from H2O for Life. It was a challenge to articulate our story, but it was so powerful and moving to be able to inspire so many people that night through such a large platform.
4. What’s one fact about water that moves you the most?
The fact that the human body cannot survive three days without water really emphasizes the importance water has in our society and to our species. At the end of the day, it’s a humbling fact that reminds us that water impacts all of us, and motivates us to keep working to improve water access.
5. Tackling the water crisis is no small feat. What encourages you?
Whenever we finish project, getting photos of progress and completion is so gratifying and always encourages us. But on a day-to-day basis, we are so grateful to have a network of family and friends that are constant pillars of support.
I inspired them, but they continue to inspire me. Inspiration can be a two-way street!
Ella & Mabel have inspired me to learn a new skill and crochet and knit, myself.
Ella & Mabel have inspired me to continue to find creative ways to support water projects.
Ella & Mabel have inspired me to know that I am not alone in the fight for clean water for all. We are in this, together!
They have inspired me to craft for water by creating up-cycled nautical-themed “coastal coasters” and selling them at farmers markets to support water projects. When I can’t use my legs or arms with running or cycling or swimming or rowing, I can use my hands just like they do.
With the holidays right around the corner, you can give the gift of life by placing an order for their homemade potholders by emailing Ella & Mabel. See their work on IG or the selection of patterns and colors section on their website.
So if you can craft, craft. If you can’t craft, support those who do. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something; And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
To learn more about Sister4Water, check out their Keynote Speech at the 2018 H2O for Life Water Ball.
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