More lessons from my Camino

It wasn’t until after I came home that I realized something profound about myself.

As I got back from my amazing journey and began to journal about all the blessings of the Camino, a question came to mind.

Why did you want to walk the Camino?

I sat with that question for a while and the only reason I had is that I felt excitement when I thought about traveling to Spain and walking with friends. It felt like a YES!

What I didn’t realize is how preparing for this journey would consume my thoughts, time, and energy for months before.

I took the challenge very seriously, preparing mind, body, spirit, emotion, and of course financially.

All the preparations paid off as I finished with an overwhelming sense of pride and joy.

The overwhelming sense of pride was new to me. I’m not sure I have ever felt that proud of anything I have accomplished.

In processing all these feelings, I realized how often in my life that I have resisted doing challenging things. If I thought something was going to be too difficult or I might fail, I didn’t try. I would tell myself it was too hard, and it wasn’t worth the effort.

Fear of failing and maybe even more often, fear of success has stopped me from trying to do things in my life. The fear of not knowing who I would be, or what people would think or say if I would succeed kept me holding myself back.

I have faced challenges in my life, but I didn’t consciously choose them.

Choosing to do something difficult that I might not finish was new for me. I have often taken the easy way out when it comes to doing something for myself. I am much more committed to doing things for others.

I’ve learned that I can choose to do difficult things and that it gives me a great sense of accomplishment to put in the effort and not let fear hold me back.

I feel stronger than I ever have in my life and pride for pushing through and allowing myself to be supported.

This experience will inspire me to look at challenges differently.

It’s about putting myself out there no matter the outcome. It’s about the journey and stepping up instead of letting fear hold me back.

If we are open and curious, we will find the gifts of remembering who we are.

When we change the world changes.