“Take a minute today to take a step back from your local tribe. Count the minutes, hours, days, that you and your fellow co-leaders put into making this a worldwide movement and continue to speak about it with energy and hubris. The mundane tasks of being a co-leader can quickly add up and cloud your perspective, stomping out the fire you once had for this global community. Let’s light that shit back up.”
– Laura Green, NPSF
Monday started like any other NP morning. I woke up, chugged some water, burned my tired eyes with contact lenses & gathered my standard neon attire. I walked out the door, ready to lead another workout. Everything went according to plan. We welcomed newcomers, ran hard on the stairs, transitioned in to the main workout with no issues and had a killer burnout. Everything was business as usual.
At the end of the workout, a member of the tribe came up to me and handed over a gift card. This caught me off-guard, I never expect gifts and was a little hesitant to accept it. “It’s the holidays” I thought to myself. She was being nice and wanted to show her gratitude with a gift. It wasn’t until I read the note on the gift card that my perspective changed.
“Thank you so much for your dedication, enthusiasm and support at NP. I appreciate you and Gina so much!”
– Anonymous
I sat in my car and continued to read the note. As simple as it may seem, it sent a powerful and important message to me. November Project is anything but “business as usual”. Three times a week, people from all walks of life wake up before 6am and show up to different outdoor venues, ready to take on a new workout they’ve entrusted in the co leaders to plan. Week after week, the tribe keeps showing up. They bring guests and they bounce. They cheer and they get faster. They hug and they get stronger. As leaders, we rely on balance. We have jobs, families, love lives & still find time to plan workouts & lead this free fitness community. Through the tedious tasks, we often forget to appreciate the importance of what we’re doing. We forget to appreciate our tribe.
After Monday, I took some time to reflect on all the moments the tribe has shouted words of encouragement or stayed after the workout to thank us. Today, I ran around the capitol and absorbed the sights & sounds of NP ATX. This is why we do it. This is why we’re here.
To my tribe, thank you for always showing up. Thank you for your support. Thank you for working out in the rain, coordinating cheer stations & races. Thank you for dealing with our awkward bounces & workouts that made more sense on paper. Thank you for spreading positive vibes & being wonderful to each other. Thank you for letting me learn from my mistakes and giving me a chance to be better. Thank you for letting me be your leader.
Enjoy your thanksgiving with family & friends. Don’t forget to tell someone they’re wonderful and you’re glad they’re here.
Edwin
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