You Can

When I found out I was pregnant with my first son Tobias, my immediate thought was: “I can’t do this!!” My next thought was: “I can’t be a mom already!!”

The timing wasn’t exactly ideal in my mind at that time. Or so I thought.

For starters, I had only been married for a year and was stoking out on my hubby time. Next, I was in the middle of filming a major movie documentary, Unstoppable (which just came out on iTunes and DVD!). Filming included traveling around the world to surf some of the craziest, most colossal, and dangerous waves on the planet. Not to mention all of the other goals and plans I had for my life.

Pregnancy seemed (at least at first) to throw all of my plans into the deep end.

I had always been excited to become a mom, so I was shocked by my strong reaction of, “I can’t do this.” Mom life just seemed like too much. Can I take all this on: athlete, speaker, wife, and now mom?

Today, I am a beyond thankful mom of two thriving active little boys! Often, I tear up when I recall those initial doubts and my fearful rejection of motherhood. But I also embrace and forgive myself. How could I have considered for even a moment rejecting my beautiful child and the amazing journey of motherhood that followed? It took me a few months to warm up to the journey of pregnancy. It helped to see my husband’s excitement. The brightness and love that leaped from my family’s eyes when they shared time with Adam and my growing belly also encouraged me. To be honest, motherhood is not easy, but it’s beautiful and it’s possible. As they say, the best things in life don’t come easy.

I’ve asked God to forgive me for believing those lies that I couldn’t do it, and for the short period of doubt I experienced over my pregnancy. I thank Him for the amazing, beautiful, and precious gift it is to be a mother to my remarkable, but at one point unexpected boy, Tobias.

When we are faced with the unimaginable and think we can’t do something, maybe we are stronger than we think, and we actually can.

In my case, I continued to travel, to compete, finished filming the documentary and became a mom. Turns out the very thing I panicked about, I could actually handle, and with God by my side, I did. Tobias turned out to be one of my best surprise packages! In reflection, I realize that my fear and doubt was not God talking to me, but the Devil deceiving me into thinking I wasn’t ready for the task. God’s voice is a tender, loving and encouraging voice, and that is the voice we should listen for.

In today’s world, our challenge is to discern between the fears that are serving us and the fears that are holding us back. Courage isn’t pretending that bad things don’t happen or that real risks don’t exist. Instead courage is having wisdom to determine what fears, hesitations, or insecurities need be dismissed in order to achieve the things that really matter. Sometimes we get emotions of overwhelming doubt or fear right before our biggest growing moments. We need to push through and believe we can.

Overcoming obstacles like fear and doubt is a topic we cover in my Unstoppable Year course . I want to help equip you to believe you can. Join us!

When you’re unstoppable, you operate in the mindset: “I don’t need easy, I just need possible!”