The Wholehearted Athlete

Part of being a whole-hearted athlete, is to acknowledge just that- your whole heart. If you're anything like me, your passions call you far beyond the field or the gym... the track or your mat. If you're like me your passions pull you in any direction, in most directions, because learning something new lights you up and exploring new places and meeting new people fill your heart so full, it's overflowing (talk about #goals).

The key to being a whole-hearted athlete is to answer to every tug on your heart, every whisper from the big man upstairs, and absolutely anything that catches your curiosity (that's God’s hints to you- follow them). More importantly than being an athlete, being a whole-hearted human is essential to our happiness. 
Being an athlete is only a piece of the puzzle.

So commit to the field, to the training, to the mat... but remember to commit to You- to the things that make you light up from the inside out. Commit to relationships- to deep, connected, fun, silly, all in, unwavering, accepting relationships. Commit to adventure— to stimulating all of your senses: to the physical sensation of sand under your feet, to the smell of the mountains, to the sound of music- familiar and new (don't forget to dance it out), to the tastes of foods you've never tried before and conversations with people who see the world differently than you— who've had experiences beyond what you knew existed. ENGAGE in life. Your WHOLE life. Be alive. Let me say that one more time... Be ALIVE. Dare to truly live... to love and hurt and explore and learn past what is comfortable.

A whole-hearted athlete is so much more than being an athlete on the outside... it's being alive on the inside. 

Are you alive?