Personal Growth with Michael and Carolyn

At Loveworks, we believe that one of the ways that you can become one of the best versions of yourself is to focus on personal growth. We love curating things like books, music, organization, blog or resources that have encouraged your personal growth. 

Today, we are going to take a minute and share with you a favorite morning routine that energizes us to start our day.

Carolyn starts her morning by opening the windows to start her day with fresh air and light.  She plays a song that helps her with her daily intentions, Kacey Musgraves – Rainbow  Carolyn is reminded through the lyrics to look for the rainbow, even when you’re overwhelmed, just look up and the rainbow will be over your head.  

Michael begins each morning defining one small win he can reach for that day.  He reminds himself that it’s the small wins that win the day.  This routine helps Michael set the tone for anything he may face that day.  

Katie Spotz: Endurance Athlete, Charitable Ambassador, Author and World-Record Holder

Katie Spotz is an American adventurer, an endurance athlete, charitable ambassador, author and world-record holder. Her accomplishments include five Ironman triathlons, cycling across the country, a 325-mile river swim, running 100 miles nonstop in under 20 hours, and the youngest solo row and only American across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to South America.

In 2020, Katie became the 1st person to run nonstop 138-miles nonstop across Maine in 33 hours, raising $26,000 for a clean water project in Tanzania. In preparations, she became the 1st woman to run nonstop across Vermont and New Hampshire. In 2020, she was awarded the Elite Female Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Katie just completed her latest challenge, Run4Water. On June 21, she began her journey running 11 ultra-marathons for 11 days consecutively by running 341-miles across Ohio from Cincinnati to Cleveland, finishing on July 1st. 

You Never Know if You Never Try

Growing up with two older brothers, Katie rose to the challenge to keep up with them every step of the way.  She dreamed of becoming a bike messenger, unbeknownst to her she would ride bikes to deliver a message of making a difference in the lives of others.  

In middle school she made it a sport to try just about everything, but just for the fun of it.  What she discovered is she spent a lot of time sitting on the bench and often if you are somewhere too long you begin to feel like you belong there.  It wasn’t until high school, when she challenged herself by doing something she thought was not possible, that she no longer wanted to be on the bench. Setting a self target of running one mile, which she completed, led her to the question that drives her still to this day, “What else could I do?”

Shift of Focus

After completing her first marathon, Katie set her eyes on preparing for a triathlon and needed to learn how to swim and bike.  She came across The Big Ride Across America in support of the American Lung Association and decided to train and fundraise with a group of cyclists in honor of her grandmother.  

Inspired by her experience, Katie was curious of other causes she could support through her endurance challenges. During an exchange program in Australia in the middle of a water shortage, she was inspired to research the water crisis millions experience around the world.  She also discovered this was a problem with many solutions that organizations were already working on.  Through her endurance challenges and fundraising Katie’s partnered with organizations to bring clean water, hygiene, sanitation and education to over 30 thousand people.  

Katie encourages others that anything you love doing there is a way to use it to help others.  THere is no wrong way to help with so many needs in the world.  Be curious, learn everything you can, and even when it doesn’t work out, try something else!  Living out your passion and your calling can help others live out theirs.  

Katie’s Advice – Go do it!

It’s okay to doubt, to feel discouraged, or feel like you can’t but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it.  You have an infinite strength and power within you.  It takes patience and understanding to ride through these feelings.  You are stronger than your doubts and fears.  The worst thing you can do is not try so just by trying you’re already succeeding.  Go do it!

You can find Katie online on Facebook, Instagram, and at www.katiespotz.com 

Check out her book called Just Keep Rowing: Lesson from the Atlantic Ocean by Youngest Person to Row It Alone  with 70 life lessons that parallel the number of days Katie spent alone at sea rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. 

Key Takeaways

• Challenge yourself.
• Stay curious.
• Go do it!