The Gift of the Push

There are seasons in life when we need a gentle invitation to slow down and there are seasons when life gives us a push. Sometimes it’s a deadline. Sometimes it’s a challenge we didn’t ask for. Sometimes it’s someone who tells us we can’t. Sometimes it’s entirely self-imposed because deep down, we know we’ve become a little too comfortable. Pushes come in many forms.

Losing a job.

A diagnosis.

A milestone birthday.

A child leaving home.

A race you’ve committed to.

A plane ticket you’ve already paid for. Or simply deciding it’s finally time to write the book you’ve been talking about for years. At first, they rarely feel like gifts.

They feel inconvenient.

Uncomfortable.

Even unfair. But I’ve noticed something. Almost every meaningful season of growth in my life began with a push.

Years ago, my brother convinced me to enter a duathlon with him. For anyone who knows me, that’s almost funny.

I’m not a runner but I love my brother and the idea of connecting with him doing something he enjoys made me say YES!!

The event started with a 7 km run before he took over on the bike. I hadn’t trained enough -about three kilometres in, my legs and stomach started cramping. I’d made every rookie mistake possible. Too much water. Too fast off the start. My body was done. Then my brain started negotiating.

“You’ve got nothing to prove.”

“Just stop.”

At one point, I looked over my shoulder and saw a man jogging toward me. He wasn’t exactly built for speed, walkman on his hip and headphones on, moving at his own determined pace-not a care in the world. My first thought?

“Fuck!!… am I actually going to come in last?”

Then another thought arrived.

“Push Lisa!! You can do this!!.”

Mike was waiting for me. The race couldn’t continue until I reached him. So I kept going.

Not gracefully.

Not quickly.

Just one step after another.

When I finally rounded the last corner- sweaty and red faced, I could hear the announcer calling my name.

“Oh shit!! I AM last!!!”I had been to enough races to cheer on my brother to know they don’t announce everyone’s name!

The crowd was even cheering my name! I was only mildly embarrassed but also grateful for the support. My husband and mom were in the crowd too but I couldn’t see them. What I remember most was seeing my brother – waiting with the biggest smile and a tear of pride in his eyes- and no doubt a touch of relief as well.

I finished strong with a sprint and tagged him- he took off like a rocket!

We finished well but that wasn’t what stayed with me. It was the realization that without that difficult stretch… I never would have experienced the finish and that lesson has followed me ever since.

Today my pushes look different.

Publishing a newsletter even when I’m tired.

Booking a trip before I feel ready.

Hiring a fitness trainer because I’ve committed to showing up for myself.

Standing in front of a camera.

Starting Lisa Geisler Living.

Having difficult conversations.

Choosing growth instead of comfort.

I’ve also learned something equally important. Living in a constant state of push isn’t healthy either. Burnout is real.

Growth needs rhythm. We need seasons of stretching and seasons of rest.

The magic isn’t found in pushing all the time. It’s found in recognizing when it’s time to move. Because comfort has a quiet way of convincing us we’ve arrived.

Growth whispers that there’s still more.

So today, I’ll leave you with one question.

Where in your life have you been waiting for permission, when what you really need is a gentle push?

You don’t have to sprint. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Just take the next step.

You might discover the finish line wasn’t the reward after all. The person you became on the way there was.

You’ve Got this!

Big Hugs,

Lisa