Lessons from The 30x30 Project Tour: Cities 1-4

The tour is almost over, and I am gloriously exhausted. :)...and ready for more.This has been a life-changing experience if I am to make understatement-of-the-year award.I've learned and grown more than I can express in writing, traveling across this continent. 29 cities down, and 1 to go, I want to share a lesson from each city I visited so that you may experience this joy, wisdom and enthusiasm for further movement right here with me.The only thing is that if I were to include all 29 in this one post, we'd be here for a looooong time. So, I'm going to break up these lessons into multiple posts that feature a few of the stops in order, interspersed with our regularly scheduled program here on Strong Inside Out.Today, I want to share with you the lessons I learned in the very beginning of the tour with Corte Madera, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Saskatoon.I'm hoping you can extract some tips and wisdom for your own life out of what I share with you today!

Corte Madera: Adapt

Going to Corte Madera was a contradictory experience to say the least. Marin County (which encompasses Corte Madera) is my home town, so I'd planned a little extra time to be with my family before taking off on my adventure.You all know what happened if you read the post at the beginning of the tour; my Grandfather had a stroke the day before I drove up from LA. The stress of not knowing how or if he would recover plus the anxiety I had about the first bootcamp.When I walked into lululemon athletica Corte Madera, I was really nervous. It was my first stop on the tour and I didn't know how many people would be there, but I was hoping it would be packed! They had put the project up on their community board and sent out a newsletter that week telling people about the bootcamp, but there was no sign up or Facebook event.I arrived early at about 8:30 am for the event at 9, and met the girls who worked there who were all incredibly sweet. Most of them said they were planning to take the class with me! The others said they had to open the store, but really wanted to participate.At 8:45 people started arriving. Andrea, my bestie, flew all the way from LA to support me in my 1st stop! A few of my Mom's work friends trickled in...At 8:55 I started worrying. There were only 7 people there to take the class... including my Mom. Where was everyone else?At 9:05, we had to start, and no one else had shown up. It was just us 7, including the girls who worked there, smiling encouragingly, their eyebrows arched up in an assuring, "we tried!"I had a choice right then.I could write this bootcamp off as a failure, or I could release all previous expectations, adapt the class to the smaller group, and teach my heart out.I went with the latter, and I'm happy to say that we killed it! Everyone had a blast! At the very end, when I told my story, tears were streaming on a few faces (not just my Mom's).Corte Madera became a success because I let go of what I thought it should be, and embraced the possibility of what it could be. I adapted to the smaller group, the energy in the room, and even the fitness levels of everyone there.The lesson I learned on my first stop was to not hold out expectations for the rest of them, but to simply do what I could to get the word out and then let it happen.When you start dreading an event, or a situation doesn't turn out like you'd hoped, put effort into seeing the silver lining. Here's an prompt that may help:I choose my perception. [click to tweet]Am I going to let myself focus on the negatives, or shift my concentration to the good? What actions can I take to make this the best situation possible?These beautiful pictures are thanks to Jonathan Ayers at Omnisonas. Thank you for coming out to document #1, Jayers! You can see more pics from Corte Madera by clicking here.

San Francisco: Revel

After the experience at Corte Madera, I knew not to expect anything extravagant, and I was ok with that.When I arrived to the lululemon athletica in Cow Hollow, I took in the charming little shop in awe. It was painted in bright purple with yellow trim, bright clothing like flowers in the windows. I found out later that it used to be a toy shop! What a magical little storefront.I was surprised to find that quite a few people showed up at the store for the special run club bootcamp! Not everyone knew that it was for 30x30, but those who just found out seemed excited! An employee from Corte Madera even came out to this one because she loved the bootcamp so much!After a short intro, we ran down to the Marina Green and settled into a grassy area with a view of The Golden Gate for the class......and it hit me.

I was doing this.

This life that I've been working so hard for is my reality.The sun was beaming like it was opening its arms for us. I've never seen a day so clear in the city. It was pure magic.I killed those poor bootcampers because I was overflowing with so much gratitude, joy and love for every person that had helped me get to this point... and I took it all out on them. :)How often do we stop to revel in the lives we're living? How often do we allow ourselves to soak up the magic that surrounds us?The fact that you're here, reading this; the fact that you found your way to Strong Inside Out at all, is a miracle in itself. There is a reason you're here.You are a walking, breathing, act of magic, all bundled up into a universe of potential that can either be harnessed, or ignored. [click to tweet]Take a second right now to sit and revel in your magical self and all your possibilities.

Vancouver: Be Kind

I had never been to Canada when I stepped off the flight from SF. I had always wanted to experience Vancouver, but never had an excuse to go... but we all know not to wait for excuses to do what we want now, don't we? ;)It was dark when we got in, so all we could see were the lights of downtown as the cabby narrated our drive to the airbnb I had booked.When we woke and emerged from our long sleep the next morning, we took in our surroundings agape like the hinges on our jaws had broken their springs.The mountains! The bright blue skies! THE CLEAN AIR! Utterly beautiful, my friends. It is a wonderful place in the true meaning of the word.We had a couple days before the bootcamp that we spent exploring the city a bit, finding little coffee shops where the owners would come out from behind the counter and talk to us at length about hockey (one of Rick's passions).I met up with Eyoälha from The Jump for Joy Photo Project and took some pretty sweet shots with her. What a bundle of joy she is! The perfect person to illicit a joyful response out of her "models" (i.e. real people like me). If you want to learn more about Eyoalha and her project, you can read the post that features her here.On our third day in Vancouver, we headed over to Burnaby for the bootcamp at lululemon athletica Burnaby Metrotown.The bootcamp went better than I could have imagined. Starting from the store, a big group of us ran to the nearest park and found a big grassy area to work it out in. I could tell from how fit these participants were, and the ultra-techy clothes they were decked out in that I could push them hard.People were laughing, cheering and falling to the ground from exhaustion... with a smile on their face of course. :) What a supportive, enthusiastic, strong group!I'd have to say that Vancouver stuck out to me as a tour location for its inhabitants' effortless kindness. Maybe it's because I'm coming from LA and I'm just used to people only being nice when they want something from you, but it caught me off guard. Maybe it's the area that brings it out in them.I had heard that Canadians were nice, but I didn't realize to what extent!Every person I met in a shop, on the street, at the bootcamps, was unyieldingly gracious and encouraging. Everyone wanted to help without expectation of reciprocation. It was such a new experience for me....which made me a bit sad.We have every opportunity to be kind in daily life, no matter where we live; to affirm instead of judge, to encourage instead of tear down, to smile instead of avoid eye contact.Our little, everyday choices are just as important as the choices that govern our lives. [click to tweet]How you live every day, every minute, every second is how you live your life.Why not live as a positive influence? Why not take the energy required to bring harm to someone else, and instead use it to be kind?We all have the chance to put a little Vancouver attitude into our step. Why not start today?

Saskatoon: Figure It Out

After Vancouver, Rick headed back home to hold down the fort until I got to Boulder, as I embarked on a domestic flight to Saskatoon......which was a bit scary to be honest. I only budgeted enough travel expenses for me into what I raised on Indiegogo, so I knew going into it that Rick wouldn't be able to be with me the whole time.It didn't make it any less anxiety-provoking.Saskatoon is a city I hadn't heard very much at all about. Most of the people I talked to in Vancouver either hadn't been there, or asked me why I was going there while their eyes betrayed their efforts to avoid looking mystified by the fact that I would consider going there at all.You see, when I first reached out to lululemons across North America, Saskatoon was the very first one to get back to me, and they did so with enthusiasm! I wrote them into the tour schedule because I thought, "Why the hell not? I've never been there and I'm not going anywhere close. Might as well..."As Rick got into the customs line at Vancouver International, I was struck with panic that I'd been stuffing down before that point:

What if I didn't know where I was going?

What if I didn't bring enough warm clothing?

What if people there weren't as nice as Vancouverites?

I repacked some of my warm clothes closer to the top of my bag so that I could layer as soon as I got in (Saskatoon was slated to be in the low 10's Fahrenheit). I looked up the airbnb I was headed to, and saw that it wasn't too far away from the airport.I was luckily too tired to get too anxious and worked up on the plane rides over. I thought to myself about how much preparation I had done, reminding myself that I lived in the bad part of Brooklyn when I was 18... I could handle Saskatoon.As much as I had prepared, however, I still felt like I wasn't prepared enough...When I got in late that night, I stepped off the plane and immediately started layering, then headed down to the taxi cue.It was straight up BLIZZARDING outside.Something to know about Amy: I have lived in California most of my life. I grew up in NorCal where it gets cold, sure, but never under, say 30 degrees... and that was COLD. It rains a lot and we bundle up with puffy rain jackets and we're good. I lived in New York for 2 of the mildest winters they've ever had... and when it snowed, it was a big deal. Now I live in LA and we bundle up when the thermometer reads anything lower than 70...Now, faced with actual freezing temperatures (it was about 2 degrees. 2!) and winds that brought that cold all up in any piece of clothing you tried to bundle up with, I was in unknown territory.The taxi line was looooong. Luckily, I got there right before it stacked up back into baggage claim. In an effort to alleviate the crowd, the taxi cue's manager called out areas people were going (West Side!, Downtown!, etc.), and had them group up into taxis for their trip.When I got to the front, I had to show him the address because I actually didn't know what area I was headed to.He took a quick look, then called out, "East Side!" Another man further back in the line raised his hand. He was called forward and I saw that he was a bit rough-looking, but to my surprise, smiled a kind smile at me and started up some small talk.We were put in a van taxi and sent off toward the East Side. My van-mate ended up being from the area and informed me that it honestly wasn't the nicest area to be staying in."Don't walk around at night alone," he warned. "Nothing big to fear; maybe just some punk kids that'll hassle you."This man who I was a bit weary of at first, ended up being extremely kind and helpful by the end of the ride. We actually chatted the whole time about life and the area.When I stepped out into the snow, I had learned of his family, his experience getting close to suicide after being in the military (after telling him about the tour), and feeling a lot more confident about my "unpreparedness.""This is on me," the man said in a last act of kindness, then smiled. "Have a great stay and keep doing what you do."The taxi drove off after I'd gotten safely inside the house I was staying at, and I realized that the whole experience was nothing to be terrified of. Even if I had no idea what would happen, even if I was terrified of doing it on my own, I'd figure it out and ask for help when I can't do it on my own. The worst that had happened was I didn't know exactly where I was going, but that actually ended up leading me to a great experience.

We're so often struck with terror over not knowing our futures. Sometimes that fear even keeps us from going after our dreams. What if I don't know what to do? What if I'm not ready?You will never be ready for the rest of your life, but it comes anyway. [click to tweet]It ended up being colder than I thought in Saskatoon. I layered extra clothing and made out ok (I still have all my toes!).The people in Saskatoon ended up being (dare I say) even nicer than the Vancouverites! I met some good friends there that I hope to have for life. (they even put me on TV!) They made me feel like part of their families and went out of their way to make sure I was taken care of.The bootcamp was one of the biggest along the whole tour, with almost $500 raised for TWLOHA. The lululemon store was so supportive of the bootcamp, most of the employees coming out to support at the bootcamp, and even inviting me into their store before it opened the next day! Many of them I became friends with, too.And the city was just beautiful, even when covered in mounds of snow!If you want to live that extraordinary life–and even if you don't–you'll reach a point at which you just have to have faith in the fact that you'll figure it out, and then GO DO IT.There are so many excuses we can come up with to keep us from living the adventure that is our life. Stop coming up with excuses not to live, and start fabricating excuses TO live the life you want. What are you holding out for?****Ok, so even just those 4 are long, so I hope you can understand why I'm breaking up my summary of the tour!Enough about me.Now I want to learn from YOUR life...In the comments below:

Which lesson resonates deepest within you, and what's an instance from your life that taught you a similar lesson?

Looking forward to hearing from you, guys!With hope and fire,Amy