But friendship is precious, not only in shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. -Thomas Jefferson
The greater part of life is sunshine, especially when you surround yourself with people who are sunny. This weekend, in spite of much rain, I had a weekend full of sunshine with two of my best friends from Davidson College, the Fillnow Twins. As luck would have it, we have found ourselves years post-college competing in the same sport, and sharing similar career paths — the perfect combination to continue growing and challenging one another as we did back in college. The lesson I learn from the Fillnows is a consistent one, and one that is permanently powerful: that, with the right mindset, we can and will be able to do anything that we set our hearts and minds to. The Fillnows believe it, they live it, and the philosophy has never failed them.
Kelly, a World Champion and American Amateur Ironman Record Holder (9:29.49 Ironman), paired with her twin sister, Meghan, a soon-to-be sub 3:00 marathon runner, are a dynamic duo to say the least. Add me to the mix, and the trio becomes an explosion of pink workout clothes, hours of giggles, and lots of dreaming. After a weekend of bike rides, runs, movies and pedicures, I was yet again inspired by these crazy twin phenomenons with their everlasting message of positivity.
The Fillnows are tough, some of the toughest two sunny warriors in life that I know, and the beauty of the way they live and carry themselves follows them like a bright shadow. Their passion for using their God-given talents to the fullest is extraordinarily inspiring, and an example that we all should emulate.
We all have the potential to be a sunny warrior; it is already in us, we just need to choose empowering thoughts, good attitudes, and kindness in everything we do, and we will be unstoppable. When adversity strikes, we must put our sunny warrior armor on and remember that it is through adversity that our true character gets implanted in our heart and memory.
Let us all be a little more like the Fillnows – kind, humble, loving, uplifting, and positively unstoppable. More importantly, let us listen to the talents that we have within us, stop questioning ourselves or our ability to make an impact, and let our purpose shine