How Being a Fit Bottomed Girl Has Changed Kristen’s Life
Sometimes I still wear it to the door to greet people. SO WHAT.
I grew up learning that bragging was bad. If you do something really, really well, it will be noticed and acknowledged, but you should never acknowledge your own accomplishments. It’s impolite.
I get that, but since joining the Fit Bottomed Girl crew, I’ve learned that everything is good in moderation, and that includes bragging. I mean, have I shut up about the Leadman Tri yet? Nope, and I’m not planning to any time soon.
But here’s the thing—bragging is a good thing when it’s used to encourage and motivate people, or when it’s shared with people who care about and understand you and truly want to hear how hard you worked and how proud you are of an accomplishment. Positivity and excitement beget positivity and excitement, so I see no harm in sharing.
Bragging only becomes a problem when it’s used to “one-up” somebody else. I would never, ever talk about a big, successful race as a way to top someone’s recount of their first 5K. I wouldn’t rub my finish line joy in their face if they had a DNF for a marathon. No way.
I’ve gotten an enormous amount of amazing, positive feedback since posting about Leadman. I’ve had people tell me that I was part of their inspiration for signing up for race in a distance that truly terrified them. I’ve had people who haven’t been on a bike in over a decade ask me about getting into triathlon. And that never would have happened if I hadn’t posted about my training and my race here and on various social media channels. It never would have happened if I weren’t a Fit Bottomed Girl.
Truth be told, I probably never would have ventured past the Olympic distance if I weren’t a part of this site. And even if I had, I wouldn’t have had the accountability of having to write a race recap to push me past my comfort zone. I wouldn’t have trained to the point of earning a “BAMF” title from people at my gym. And I certainly wouldn’t have had the self-confidence to hear that title and think and think, “You know what? I kind of am.”
So, yeah, I’ve learned to brag a little, and I’ve learned that it’s totally okay. You know, in moderation.
What kind of lessons have you learned as a part of this community? Do you agree with me or think I’m full of hot air? —Kristen