Which Way are You Running: Away from Your Past? Or Towards Your Future?

Or am I stuck running away from the things that scare me?

From the things of my past, the things that I don't want to think about anymore.

Which way are you running?

And for what reason are you running?

With that question in mind, let's dive into today's episode.

Welcome to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and I'm excited to welcome you inside.

What's happening, my friend, and how are you today?

Always a pleasure to be landing in your podcast feed.

I am, of course, your host, Kevin Lowe, as well as Transformational Life and Business Coach when not in the studio, recording podcasts just like this one.

Today I am welcoming you to what is episode 166.

In life, all of us are running, constantly running.

Now, maybe not in the physical sense, because, well, some of us, if we tried to run, we would realize that we look like total idiots, or we would probably just drop dead of a heart attack.

So I'm not talking about running in the physical sense.

I'm talking about running in our heads, in life, in the craziness of our minds.

It's the reason for running, the reason for which we are running that I'm talking about today.

Because as I said, we're all running.

We're all running in life.

We're all running in our own heads.

The question is, are we running towards something or are we running away from something?

Now, in talking about running, did you know that it is time for you to run on over and join the ultimate spring challenge, kicking off on the first day of spring, which is March 20th?

Yeah, it's coming up quick.

So get your RSVP in by heading on over to let'shangout.live.

That is let'shangout.live.

And hit the little button to request to join the Facebook group because, baby, the party is about to begin.

It's gonna be 30 days of a whole lot of Kevin, a whole lot of fun, and hopefully some big takeaways for you.

I want you to kick off spring the right way.

And well, I think that is inside of my ultimate spring challenge.

30 days to a better you.

Signing up is easy.

All you have to do is go to let'shangout.live or scroll down and click the link inside of today's show notes.

That's gonna take you to the challenges private Facebook group where you just have to click the little button to request to join.

It will ask you three simple little questions, fill that in and then hit submit, and you are in like Flynn.

So, back to the question at hand.

What are you running from?

Or what are you running towards?

What am I talking about?

What I'm talking about is how we are living life.

As I said, we're all running, we're constantly running.

We're either running away from things or we're running towards things.

Running away from the things in our past, the things that scare us, from the things that worry us, from the things that brought us pain and discomfort, or we're focused forward and we're focusing on running towards the things that bring us joy, that give us hope, that give us pleasure.

We're all running.

The question is, what are we running for?

And what are we running towards?

The way in which you know which way you are running is well, if you're running to avoid pain, if you're tired of the hard times, if you are so badly wanting to escape your past, well, chances are you're probably running away from it.

And by doing so, I'm afraid to say you're not living in your fullest potential.

Because to be running away from something means that you are the victim.

It means that you are the prey.

Instead, I want you to be the predator.

I want you to be chasing after something, preferably not a gazelle.

I'm not encouraging any of that national geographic type behavior.

Instead, I'm talking about your hopes, your goals, your plans, focusing forward by running towards something.

So the question is this what is it that you might be running away from?

And why is that such a bad thing?

Because goodness knows, none of us really wanted that to happen in the first place.

So if it was a bad situation, let's get out of there.

What I'm talking about are bad relationships, a bad marriage, a bad friendship, something that left you hurt, that left you disappointed with life, and possibly beating up yourself.

Or maybe it's your work, maybe it's a dead-end job that you look back on now and you think, wow, I just wasted all of that time in a job that was going nowhere.

What was I doing?

Why was I doing that?

Now, here's the problem with running away from something is that as hard as you try, you're really not going anywhere.

You're basically stuck in the same place.

It's like being on a treadmill.

No matter how hard you run, you're not moving anywhere.

That's what happens when we run away from something.

I can tell you this from my own experience.

I became blind when I was 17 years old.

I know what kind of pain that was.

And I knew that I was plunged into a life that I hated and that I didn't want to be in.

And so I tried with all my might to outrun it, to run away from the pain, to not be gathered up in all of its heartache, in all of its despair.

If I could keep running away from it, maybe I would reach somewhere better.

I can tell you that that led me nowhere.

Now, it's not wrong if we're running away from something.

It's part of the process.

It's part of the process of life.

But where the true magic happens is when we can stop running away and start running towards what we want, what our future holds, what we're hopeful for, what we dream about.

Because when we start running towards something, well, now we have a destination.

We have a direction.

We have a goal to reach.

It keeps our mind focused.

It keeps us not dwelling on the past, not fearful for what was, but instead electric with energy, excited about what is to come, what will be.

And well, you want to talk about a sense of purpose and direction in your life?

This is what I'm talking about.

When you have a goal to run for, well, that's gonna give you a boost in life.

Even when the going gets tough, just like a runner out there physically running a race, it's not easy.

It's grueling, it's tiring.

And I'm sure at times they want to give up.

But they know if they push through it, they know if they keep moving forward, that they're gonna reach the finish line and they're gonna be so proud of it.

That's what I'm talking about for you is to be moving towards something, not away from something.

Nobody wins a race because they're running away from a fear.

They win a race because they're running towards a goal.

Now, here's the point in this whole topic.

Honestly, if you forget everything else that I just said, do it.

Because what I'm about to say is worthy of you taking notes.

Yeah, like literally, get out a notepad, get out a pen, or get out your tablet, your smartphone or computer, and make a note.

Because what I'm about to share is what this is all about.

Running towards something isn't just about achieving a specific goal.

It's also about letting go of the fears, the worries, and the hard times that are in your past.

When we are constantly running away, we are living in a state of fear and anxiety, a fear of uncertainty.

We're always looking over our shoulder, wondering when the next shoe will drop.

Because we're never actually giving ourselves a chance to live in the present or in the future.

Instead, we are constantly consumed by the past.

But when we start running towards big hopes, goals, plans for the future, well, baby, that's when we finally start living life like it was meant to be.

I want you to start living in a state of possibility, in opportunity.

Sometimes it's tough.

It's gonna mean that you have to embrace the unknown.

It means that you're going to have to welcome challenge with open arms.

But what's on the other side is so worth it.

Do you think that the person running that race realizes at the starting line just how amazing it's gonna feel when they cross the finish line?

They may think they do, but they have no idea.

Because there is nothing quite like the realization that you just busted it out yourself, you did the work, you let go of the fears, you let go of the worries, you put all of that aside and you focused forward, and you ran the race, whether a marathon or life, and you crossed the finish line, you achieved your goals because you focused forward.

No one ever won a race by looking backwards, they only win the race by looking forward.

Now, you may be asking this okay, Kevin, but what am I running towards?

What are we talking about?

What kind of thing should I be focusing on?

Well, first and foremost, what do you want?

What do you dream about?

What do you desire with life?

Because what we're talking about is something that aligns with your values, that pulls on your passions, that fulfills your dreams.

That's the kind of stuff we're talking about.

We're talking about the big level stuff that keeps you moving forward.

Because you are no longer held back by fear, you're no longer held back by self-doubt.

Because what happened in the past is in the past.

And the only thing that matters is what is in the present and what is in the future.

So let's think about it.

Maybe you really want to be doing something different as a career.

Maybe you want to start your own business.

How incredible would that be?

Or maybe you're not the entrepreneur type, but instead you just want to move up the ladder in the business you're at.

You want some new opportunities.

And so that's what you're running for.

Or maybe it's a personal goal.

Maybe you're running towards bettering yourself by diving into 30 days of self-improvement in Kevin's ultimate spring challenge.

Or maybe you just have a goal to start living life better, to start enjoying life more.

And maybe that means that on the weekends, you're not just consumed by chores around the house, but instead you're getting out and going to new places and exploring new things, meeting new people, living and enjoying life.

Whatever it is, I want it to be something that makes you feel alive, that gives you a greater sense of what living is all about.

That's what I want you to start running towards.

Here's the whole point running towards something we want is one of the most powerful things you can choose to do in your life.

Because it's all about more than running towards something to achieve a goal.

It's about keeping you focused forward, not allowing your mind to dwell on the past or worry about the present, but instead keeping you focused forward.

Because I'm here to tell you that the world is full of opportunities.

You are full of opportunities.

And when we combine your opportunities with the world's opportunities, baby, the opportunities are endless.

So here's my final thought for you.

If you find that you are running away from your past, I want you to take a breather, take a stop, and I want you to change directions.

And I want you to start running towards your hopes, your dreams, your future.

Now, if you want to jump start a way to kickstart this mindset, well, there is no way better to do that than by joining my ultimate spring challenge, 30 Days to a Better You.

All you have to do is head on over to let'shangout.live, which will take you to the private Facebook group where you'll click the little button to request to join the group.

You'll answer three quick questions and then hit submit.

And baby, you are in there.

So that's what I'm talking about.

Let's get together.

Let's make this year your year.

And let's kick it all off on March 20th, the first day of spring, when you are no longer going to be held back by what was in the past, but only motivated to move forward by what lies in the future.

My name is Kevin Lowe.

I am the host of Grit Grace and Inspiration.

And hey, I hope today's episode blesses you, maybe even causes you to grow a little, stretch a little, expand your mind, and seek out bigger, better, more beautiful horizons.

Until next time, just get out there and take on the day with grit, grace, and inspiration.

Hey, real quick before you go, I have one last thought to leave you with.

I of course hope that you've enjoyed today's episode, but more importantly, I want to remind you that I never want you to listen to an episode of this podcast to hear something that I have to say or that my guest has to share and think, wow, I wish I could be like them.

I wish I could overcome my own challenges and do the great things that they are doing, but I just can't.

Well, friend, that's where you're wrong.

unknown: You're wrong.

SPEAKER_00: You are capable, you are able, and you darn sure are deserving of having all that you can imagine in this life.

There's nothing special about me or any guests I have on this podcast.

We are all just normal people trying to make it in this life.

And so I encourage you to take a look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that you know what?

I can do it too.

Now, of course, if you would like help along that way, reach out to me.

Whether that's as a listener of this podcast, a friend, or if you'd like to work with me as a coach.

My contact information is inside of every episode's show notes, just like this one.

So go down, check out my contact information, and reach out to me today.

With that said, I encourage you to take on the day every day with great, grace, and inspiration.