From the jump, two common themes that I knew would play a foundational part of Justineslife were community and collaboration. Why? Because not only do I personally rely on these two things on a daily basis, but I truly believe that it is with the positive encouragement, support and accountability from our circles and our communities that we become the best I.
It is these checks and balances that keep us positive, humble, and strong enough to push forward through our greatest obstacles to our greatest accomplishments.
Photo credit: Hugo Ramirez
This brings me to this week's edition of #ReflectionsofGratitude. Thanks to two of my awesome sisters from other misters, Sammy and Val, I stepped out of my comfort zone this past weekend and joined the MIP Worldwide community at Jason Markk for a nice little Saturday run, (that eventually progressed into a full two days of fellowship.)
Don't get me wrong, hanging with a bunch of dope new people for an entire weekend, right up my alley; the whole running long distance part, not so much. But on I went to support my friends...
Look, if we're talking sprints, I'm there. I'm an athlete. I can go all day. Who wants it? Allyson Felix, where you at!? Distance though? Eh, I'm cool. Always unsure of whether I'll be able to finish the run at a respectable pace, and also (being instinctively extremely competitive) in first place, I've typically shy'd away from group distance running.
But Saturday there I was, at 1 o'clock, in the heat of the summer day, my excuses locked and loaded, about to take off running across DTLA with a large group of people. Off first glance, the group clearly consisted of a few pro runners, who surely were supposed to have left for Rio already, the fitness buffs, who do this everyday like it's drinking water, the middle of the packers (like myself), who were going to get by, a few people I could definitely beat, and my buddy Javier, who after randomly crossing paths with us, was going to join in despite sporting blue jeans and carrying a book.
BOOM! We're off. Energy is high, everyone's having fun, I'm feeling good, and amazingly, no one has sprinted to the front of the pack like Superman. Just as it feels the pace is about to settle in, enter "praise break" number one. You know, the part of the race where everyone from the runners' pace to the party pace pauses together and allows the whole group to catch up while holding squats, cheering loudly and creating bridges for each other to run under.
Photo credit: Hugo Ramirez
Photo credit: Hugo Ramirez
It was during that first praise break, of what would go on to be many, that I realized this was no race at all. This wasn't a competition. No one was supposed to win, or feel self-conscious or leave discouraged, never wanting to come again. This was a collaboration, a journey, together, designed to grow ourselves by first bettering one another. There were no egos, no levels, and no talk about who you are or what you do (which in LA we all know can be hard to come by.) We were all on the same playing field.
We laughed, we ran, we accomplished heights we were unsure we could achieve and we left no one behind. As it turns out, I didn't need all of those excuses I had packed after all. I was fully capable of completing the run, and even if at times I needed to walk, there was always going to be someone back in the party pace willing to walk with me, passing no judgement, keeping me encouraged and making sure we finished the mission.
That is what it's all about. Relying on we to create a better I, because together, there is no mission impossible, it's mission I'mPOSSIBLE. And for that, I am grateful.
For those of you unfamiliar with MIP Worldwide, it stands for Mission I'mPOSSIBLE. MIP is not just a run club, but a community built on outreach, leadership and collaboration. MIP was founded in Vegas in 2012 by Sammy Jo herself. MIP's Core Value II states that, "the RUNway is where dreams become a reality, ideas turn into action, life turns into living and tests turn into testimonies." Four years later, MIP is now an active 501c3 with ten chapters nationally. Through the help, belief and support of her community, Sammy was able to turn dreams into a reality and ideas into action.
To learn more about MIP or how to get involved in a chapter near you, check out their website.
