Today’s prompt: Decisions, decisions. What decisions did you make this year? Were they easy to make? Or hard? How did you come to your decision? Did you make a pro and con list? Go with your gut? Ask for advice?

My friend Kim wrote beautifully about how she struggles making decisions in her personal life while making decisions at work effortlessly. I feel mostly the same way, though my need for validation and approval can often make it tough at work, too.

This year, I made lots of decisions. I decided to go back to therapy. I decided to apply for a new position. I decided between partial knee replacement surgery and far less invasive arthroscopy. I decided to create a budget and stick to it. So. Many. Decisions.

I don’t have much of a gut feeling on anything. I think it’s because I learned somewhere that I need approval which made me doubt my gut. Now, I think the ability to hear it is gone because I think I just got out of the habit of listening to it. That’s getting better with therapy, though. #myfeelingsmatter

So a couple years ago, when I initially considered training to be a Les Mills RPM instructor, I had a few thoughts about why I couldn’t do it and then assumed most people agreed.

I didn’t look like a cycle instructor. At least not like my faves.

I didn’t ride a bike. Like, outside. Ever. (Until this fall. Two bike rides qualify me as a “cyclist,” right?)

I couldn’t sprint on pace when I took RPM.

I didn’t think I was authentic. Or, as Les Mills puts it, I didn’t think I “sat in the essence” of the program.

With a little push from my sister-from-another-mister (and a whole lotta work on my sprinting) I finally took the plunge and registered for training. “Do one thing that scares you everyday” – she says it all the time. Not sure what it was about that day that made me really hear her.

Because I was really scared.

But on October 10, 2015, I walked into a Gold’s Gym in Leesburg, threw on my cycle shoes (I just Googled “cycle shoes” vs. “cycle cleats” – because THAT is how you would know if I was legit or not, right? For the record, equal hits on both, though I suppose “cleats” is more accurate.) and got to work.

Tamara Pitard was our trainer and she was EXCELLENT. I learned SO much that weekend and worked SO hard with my fellow trainees. What an amazing experience. It was by far the best of my three initial trainings with Les Mills and it was one of the BEST decisions I made this year.

Thank you, Tamara and fellow trainees for a truly inspiring weekend.

And thank you to my RPM Fairy God-mentor. I would not have made this decision without your nudging. support, and sprint coaching every Tuesday morning!!!