It’s been a challenging time lately. Professionally and privately, I’m being challenged with some pretty weighty personal growth opportunities. There has been a lot of self-examination and doubt. Do I really have what it takes to be successful in my desired path? What if my best isn’t enough? It’s a heavy burden of thought to carry recently. But, sometime in the grey and rain of yesterday, I remembered something. I remembered I’m capable.

ca·pa·ble  /ˈkāpəbəl/
Able to achieve efficiently whatever one has to do; competent.

Striding on the elliptical machine at the gym, staring out the window through the rain to a point on a building in the distance, I remembered. Somewhere between ‘The Cave’ and ‘Castles in the Sand’ while I was wiping away sweat, somewhere around mile 2, I remembered that I always do what I have to do. I make things happen. I do things. I’m capable of things. I’m capable of many things.

I am a girl that’s capable of making her body go 13.1 miles in less than 3 hours, multiple times within the same year:

I am the girl that’s capable of taking a kick ass self portrait in a dust storm at Burning Man:

I’m actually extra capable at the self portrait thing. This may have taken 100 shots on the self timer while I was traveling alone in Puerto Vallarta, but this single shot is fantastic:

I’m capable of venturing out of the resort and ziplining on a solo vacation to Mexico:

I’m capable of riding a Mechanical Bull in San Antonio on Valentine’s Day with the girls:

I’m also capable of participating in large flash mob pillow fights on Valentine’s Day with the girls:

I’m capable of surviving New York City alone. I went there alone as a 30th birthday present to myself, as part of my Project 30 celebration and it was one of the best decisions ever:

I’m capable of roadtripping by myself:

In fact, I sing in the car and I’m not shy about how absolutely capable of that I am:

I’m even capable of camping by myself (and can start my own fires):

I am capable of traveling internationally and navigating foreign cities by myself. A guy came and asked me if I wanted his help taking this, because I was standing there struggling to line it up right with my timer by myself. I had just spent the entire day walking all over the city by myself until I had so many blisters I couldn’t take another step. This day was so special:

I’m even capable of dining alone in international places. Having a moment alone with this tomato soup in Amsterdam is one of my most favorite life moments:

I am capable of growing things. It may be extra challenging at times, but I have maintained a really awesome garden for 3 years:

I want to keep remembering. No matter how many things there are lately that make me question myself, I want to remember that I am capable of many, many things.