My Philosophie

Dare To Fail #IWILL

What would you attempt to do if you could not fail? This, to many is a scary question. A thought that silences our inner voice of self doubt, strips our true desires down to its underwear and pushes it center stage, under the spotlight of possibility.

About a year ago I stumbled upon the “What’s Beautiful” Competition posted by Under Armour on my Facebook Page. The Campaign was designed to redefine the female athlete by promoting beauty in strength and self confidence. Women across North America were dared to declare a goal and document their progress over the course of 9 weeks. The top 3 women who shared the most inspirational stories over the course of contest would become the new faces of Under Armour. Following this, a second round was announced where 10 finalists would  be flown to Florida to train at Camp Sweat  and become honorary Under Armour ambassadors.

Having applied directly to their internship program two years in a row without hearing a reply, I quickly seized opportunity to make myself known. With the support of my family and friends I entered the competition with the goal of completing my first Tough Mudder and began posting on the community board. After 9 weeks of video footage and documentation, I didn’t make it to the top 10. Dejected yet persistent  I decided to pursue and compete once again in Round 2, this time declaring an even bigger goal to run my first half marathon, complete a triathlon and help challenge 10 other women to step outside their comfort zone. After amping up my hours training and obsessively posting new content, my mom, concerned and looking to protect me from another let down, as all moms do, asked me with a realistic tone…

 “Sophie, what are the chances of you actually making it to the top 10?”

Little did I know then, the answer was 1 in 1400 women. But even without this information, I knew I would regret letting the opportunity pass me by even if it meant not making the top 10. After countless hours of training and over 500 posts later, I was selected as one of the lucky women who would attend Camp Sweat.

At this point the competition, I had forgotten why I had initially entered  and looked back at all I had accomplished with the support of an amazing community of women. Not only did I step outside my comfort zone and accomplish the goals I set for myself, but I unknowingly inspired others to take on goals they never thought possible, while they challenged me in return.

Returning to my initial question, had I looked at the odds and decided not to participate I would have never have experienced Camp Sweat or formed friendships with so many amazing and inspirational women -  let alone accomplished a Tough Mudder, or ran my first half marathon and triathlon in the process!

Just because the odds are against you, doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance, or that success is out of your grasp  You’ll never know the limit of your true potential unless you dare to reach it. And even if you try and fail, you are ahead of the version of you who didn’t dare to try at all.

The only person who can tell you can’t is you. Will you let yourself stand in your way?