We Are Runners

By Rebecca Palma

We are all striving to run our lives in the best way possible. We Are Runners re-examines the word success and broadens it, so that we can acknowledge our victories in more ways than one. We will learn to improve our thought process, self-awareness, and restoration. Biblical teachings are incorporate

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pack Press
• Release date: Aug 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736840511

Rebecca Palma

Rebecca has always had the natural motivation to council and encourage others. Her chosen degrees are in Business Administration and Behavioral Science and she received Certificates of Achievements in Mental Health and Communication. When Rebecca is not writing books, she is writing for her Cruelty Free Lifestyle + Community + Travel blog, exploring somewhere new, and helping others find their voice.

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Copyright © 2021 Rebecca Palma

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-7368405-0-4 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-7368405-1-1 (ebook)

Dedication

For God-

Who continuously shows me what success truly is

Acknowledgements

To Alvin and Anastasia for designing the most beautiful cover I can imagine. Your creativity was the final touch to completing this book. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

To my parents for enduring years and years of compositions, stories, songs, now books. Your support has always been with me. I am one of the fortunate ones.

Huge thank you to my editor for enduring all my constant ideas and changes. You are wonderful.

To the readers, you for taking the time to pick up this book and read it all the way through. I appreciate each and every one of you. Many thanks, forever.

Sending so much love and appreciation to my launch team, my supporters, my friends. 

Chapter 1

Pace Yourself

You have a path, I have a path, she has a path, and your nutty neighbor on your block has a path. Your stride may differ from mine, her path may be not be paved, and that neighbor down the street may run in a hailstorm. Guess what? We are all still running. We are pressing on mile after mile in life. We are running, but not racing. It takes a conscious effort, such as controlling your mind, your breath, and acknowledging what you feel in the present moment. Taking time to recuperate and refocus is essential to your growth. There is a difference between running your life successfully and running yourself into the ground.

You may have heard the famous phrase, Just keep swimming, stated beautifully by Dory from Finding Nemo. This simply advises one to move forward and keep trying. She never said, Just keep swimming until you get caught in an undertow. There is no massive force or pressure attached, but rather the idea of putting a continuous effort into motion. Though I respect how Dory puts it but, I prefer the phrase just keep running for a couple of reasons. The first reason—I am a runner, so I am biased.

Growing up, my dad was my coach for every sport I participated in. My team would originally start with a community rec leader and, somehow, some way, my father would come in mid-season and suddenly become the new soccer or basketball coach. Even with the switching of community centers and leagues, the result was still the same. At the time, being at the most awkward age and having your dad always pop up with a whistle nearby was weird. I found out later in life that the coaches before him lacked commitment, so my dad would come in for the save. This became my norm, but I gained no special treatment. My dad would bench me if he needed to and made honest calls during our games. What seemed embarrassing then seems honorable now. My dad kept running forward to ensure I had someone to rely on.

He would train me at home with the same routine, regardless of what the sport was. I would go outside, eager for a game of one on one or some secret tips and tricks on how to be better. I would have even been pleased to learn how to shoot a free throw. Instead, he would look at me and say, RUN! I would listen, run around the block, and hope to move on to drills or an actual game together upon returning. Nope, not with him. I would come back huffing and puffing, just to be told that what was next was to RUN! I had a love hate relationship with running while growing up, I have to say. However, I can apply to just about any situation all the techniques I have learned from running. These are disciplines we can all take and put into practice.

If you are wondering what my second reason was for choosing the running metaphor, it is that I do not have the best experiences with water. I will spare you my snorkeling horror stories. For the time being, we are all going to be runners. What the heck am I getting at with the Just Keep Running concept? Well, this is the concept of effort. Keep pressing on, keep living, keep going.

Upon moving forward, we often have more obstacles than we wish to handle. One of those major obstacles is the expectation for immediate results. We live in a world that showcases instant overnight success, but it is not all what it is cracked up to be. Many opportunities are quickly accessible and convenient, but that does not mean that we throw away patience in pursuit of our goals.

Last year, I caved and made a TikTok video. I had unnecessarily purchased a popcorn maker and wanted to feature it on TikTok. I posted a