Wow, what a week this has been!
First of all, I want to tell you that it is such an honour and privilege to be your newest NP co-lead. I cannot begin to describe how excited I am to continue building this community that we all love so much alongside all of you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
Over the past few weeks, as I was deciding whether to accept this position, I have been on a journey of considering just what NP means to me, to you, to our community and to our entire city. I’ve been thinking about what makes this community so special and about how I could possibly contribute as a co-leader. I’ve done a lot of discussing and contemplating, and I’ve learned lot.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you already know that November Project is more than a group of people that exercise together three times a week. It’s so much more.
I’m sure many of you would agree that NP has changed your life significantly. And in ways that have nothing to do with fitness. Beyond the fitness aspect, NP is a place where you’ve found lifelong friends, where you’ve gained confidence, where you’ve explored new places in our city, where you’ve done crazy things like meeting at 6am in -30C weather, and where you’ve come to play and have fun. No, NP is not just about fitness, it’s about a community of people that care about each other, help each other grow, and have fun together.
As I’ve alluded-to in a previous blog post, this community has truly built me into the person I am today. I am not the same person I was a few years ago before I ever showed up at a workout. This community has changed me in so many ways. It gave me confidence that made me better at my job and helped me decide to go back to school. It helped me meet people who have become some of my closest friends. It built me from the someone who was afraid to show up because I wasn’t “athletic” to a co-leader.
Over the past weeks, I’ve had a chance to meet with Rob, Lazina, Nadim and Jen, and one of the many pieces of advice I received was to figure out what I want to leave this community. What am I showing up for? What I am I leaving with people?
So here it is: I want to build you up. I want to help create a space where you can become more empowered, confident, excited, happy, and feel that you belong. I hope that many of you can have the same experience that myself and others have already had of being lifted up by NP.
To do this, it takes a community. The co-leaders just set up a space for it to happen. As a co-leader, I hope I can create a space for this by organizing fun, creative and challenging workouts, providing opportunities for us all to connect, and encouraging you all to be your best. However, the true power comes from all of us showing up, lifting each other up, and creating this special community that is NP.
Here’s my call to action to you: as we all walk together as a community, let’s keep finding ways to build community, help each other grow and continue to make NP the craziest, funnest, and most special community ever. Let’s lift each other up.
I can’t wait for all the great times ahead!
Lift each other up,
Eric
Announcements:
- Monday – meet at Violet King Henry Plaza for a Thanksgiving workout!
- Wednesday – We make our return to our winter stair home, Royal Glenora Stairs
