How did Felix Baumgartner’s space jump , a Woman from India on a Motorcycle and 21k Transform my Thinking in One Week?

How did Felix Baumgartner’s space jump , a Woman from India on a Motorcycle and 21k Transform my Thinking in One Week?

By: Yasmin Razack (limitlesswomen.ca)

Late last night in Toronto I was frantically driving behind a zooming motorcycle trying to find parking at my in-laws condo to pick up the kids after a birthday dinner for my husband – only to discover that the driver was an ‘older’ woman named Smiti Gupta from India. But for me that wasn't the best part...

It was her look of happiness, pure joy and infectious positive energy that amazed me.

Who doesn’t want that feeling of doing something you love, something that makes you feel so happy you could die right there in that very moment and feel good about how you lived your life. 

She LOVED riding this bike, and informed me she has been on motorcycles since 1986 in India. And nothing or no one was has ever prevented her from riding- and I believe nothing ever will.

As a (new) working mother of two I find it SO SO SO SO SUPER HARD not to find time to do the things that I love….but to discover NEW things that have the possibility to uplift me in ways I never thought possible.

Isn’t that living life to the fullest?

But I feel selfish. Mommy-Guilt kicks in…and then there is the TIME factor.

When? When? When could I possibly not only JUSTIFY this exploration but also how could I fit in self-discovery in the crazy schedule I currently have?

Like the rest of the world I also witnessed Felix Baumgarter jump from space and almost instantaneously out of sheer fascination I probably did what most people did.

I Googled Felix.                                                            

One line he said hit me like a ton of bricks.

He said this is most likely his last and final ‘jump’ and when asked why he put himself in such high situations of danger his casual response was, “what is life if you don’t set these goals for yourself ? What kind of life would I be leading?”

And I am not talking ‘bucket list’, I am referring to discovering the things that will unlock new levels excitement for life in your soul that leads you to: pure bliss.

This all being said, on Sunday October 14^th I completed my first half-marathon, 21 kilometres of non-stop running: a time of 2 hours and 4 min. I later found out I made it to the top 15% for my age and for the entire heat of half-marathon runners!

What? This from a woman that owns a maybe 2 sneakers and boxes of high-heels?

I DID set a goal for myself after my second child to run a marathon….he was born last May.

I put it off.

I put it off.

I put if off.

Then one random day during dinner I jumped away from the kids and husband and signed up for the Scotia BankMarathon on my iPad. Just like that. 

I have no idea where that motivation came from but the process of training and working hard to achieve something I HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE became new and heightened source confidence and will power.

Pushing myself to achieve longer distances in my runs to a point where 10k became to feel like 5k and even lacing up to run after little sleep and a hard work day STRENGTHENED MY MIND TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF MORE.

I was amazed.  I was amazed at how powerful  and necessary it was to have positive, encouraging 'I believe I can do this' thoughts in order to keep going. For me this was transformational. 

It was super hard to fit in the runs as a full-time working mom, SUPER HARD to negotiate the time away from family, finding energy and motivation to run at the end of the work day before I pick up the kids- Sat/Sun early morning runs , trying to eat right most of the time etc. But it became such an important goal for me because of how quickly I saw the value in process of pushing myself to work hard in order to attain a a goal I had never accomplished before.

When I crossed that finish line I felt a sense of accomplishment I have never EVER felt before. Pure Joy. Bliss. Levels of energy in my body I didn’t even know I had…I am still basking in these feelings and what know for sure is that it has taken my confidence, strength and determination to MUCH higher level.

I feel more than ever, as women we need to discover our strength and build our confidence by setting what I like to call “Adventure Goals” in order to discover our true potential….what is your next AG?  

Gotta go..it's 1:25am and my son just woke up!

Yasmin Razack is a Personal + Professional Life Coach who works with for women in transition to unlock their limitless potential in all aspects of life. For more information please visit limitlesswomen.ca or email her at yasmin@limitlesswomen.ca.