The Incline

The Incline

A few days ago I did something I've been working towards for a year, I climbed the Manitou Incline. This picture doesn't really do it justice, here's a description: "The Incline is famous for its sweeping views and steep grade, as steep as 68% in places, making it a fitness challenge for locals in the Colorado Springs area. The incline gains over 2,000 feet (610 m) of elevation in less than one mile." It was difficult and I thought about giving up a few times along the way.

The actual trail, what was I thinking?

Once we got to the top I was tired but happy and quite proud of myself. My son took my picture to document my achievement.

View from the top.

Later, when I was looking at the pictures, instead of thinking "wow, how awesome was that!" I thought "wow, I look fat". Ever since I was in my twenties and I was in a car wreck that broke half my face I have not let people take pictures of me often. My muscles in one side of my face don't work well and I think I look funny in pictures. I also suffer from low self esteem, I've been working on that but the picture thing is still an issue, I never think I look perfect enough. Friday, after making my climb, I started to realize just how silly that was. Thousands of normal people post pictures of themselves every day, no big deal, I decided I would do the same. I posted my picture on my personal and business Facebook pages.

45 years in the making.

For most people this may seem like a small thing, but for me it was actually a lot harder than climbing The Incline, every time I see it I cringe a little inside, but I keep it up. Nothing horrible has happened, in fact, I think it's helping me to gain some more confidence in myself, I'm me, a normal person and I look like a normal person. People still love me, I have friends, my dog thinks I'm awesome, I don't need to look like a super model. I actually think, for a 45 year old in full blown menopause and no thyroid, maybe I don't look too bad at all.

What have you done lately that has taken you out of your comfort zone? It doesn't have to be a huge, life changing thing, maybe it can be something as small as posting a picture, maybe the small things can be pretty life changing after all.