I was barely out of my teens over twenty years ago when I went to the New and Gauley Rivers in West Virginia to train to be a whitewater rafting guide. Women were really just breaking into the scene so the entire area was heavily dominated by men. This in itself wasn’t the least bit concerning since my desire to guide had nothing at all to do with the male to female ratio. What was concerning, as I soon came to find out, was the blatant sexism displayed by some male guides, trainers, and company owners. I selected one company out of a dozen to train with and throughout most of a year with them I endured being talked down to, sardonic attitudes, and never-ending attempts to make me fail. I was repeatedly put into situations to deliberately push me past my physical and psychological limits in the hopes that I would just give up; many trainees did, after all. This kind of adversity is what I faced spring, summer, and fall while training with “Company A”. But let me tell you the outcome.
Resistance is Futile
The burn you feel is from you fighting the process.
“No Pain, No Gain” is the biggest load of overused horse hockey I have ever heard. Do you know how many successes in my life people have tried to invalidate because they came easy to me? I bet in your life you have experienced some of these examples; “That was too easy so something is wrong,” or “If you have no problems then you are doing it right.” Shut up. Yeah, I mean you. I’m looking right at the inner voice that is repeating this crap to you, keeping you from owning your success. I am here as the “Dark Side of Positive” to destroy some of this lie that keeps you from being successful. And trust me – resistance is futile.