THE HILL NEVER CHANGED, I DID!

Fear feels massive... until you decide to be courageous!!

Then it just... stops mattering. Let me tell you about a hill.

There's a race I've done a few times. Same steep, brutal climb every year. And every single time, I got dropped from the front group by the 1st and 2nd runner.

Every time.

In 2024, I decided to do something different.

Normally, my plan on that hill was to stay in the pack with the top 5, conserve energy, ride "smart." But smart was just another word for scared. I was scared that if I went too hard too early, I'd blow up and have nothing left for the rest of the race.

That year I ignored the plan.

As soon as the hill started, I sent it.

Full gas, first minute, no overthinking.

Here's the thing about fear, it convinces you that you can't hang with the leaders, so you never even try.

And the moment you accept that story, fear has already won.

Because at that point, you have nothing left to lose.

The only thing fear ever really takes from you is the chance to find out.

So I decided to be courageous instead.

I sent it.

Only one other rider could follow.

I crossed that finish line 2nd.

On a hill that had dropped me every year before.

Nothing about my legs changed that day.

What changed was the decision I made before the fear had a chance to make it for me.

That's the part most people get backwards.

We wait to feel brave before we act brave.

But courage isn't a feeling you wait for.... it's a decision you make, and the feeling catches up after.

Where in your life are you waiting to "feel ready" before you send it?