I don’t usually think of myself in terms of having “swagger.” When I hear that word I think of someone walking all proud and arrogant down a busy city street, because in fact that is what the word means. There is a decidedly negative connotation to it. Someone who swaggers is bold and brash and conceited. I don’t like to think of myself in that way. But, in some ways you have to think to the extreme to make any kind of movement at all. And you have to dream big to reach your goals.
It takes a proud person to make real change. This is what Peloton personality Robin Arzon is pushing; her new #swaggersociety is geared to helping people dream big, supporting each other, creating accountability, and being the change they want to see in their lives. I didn’t hesitate to sign up as soon as I heard about the concept.
Even for a coach like me, it can be hard to make real strides toward your goals, particularly if they are out of your comfort zone. If it takes work and there’s not an easy path or answer, it can be tempting to just kick the can down the road or even worse, give up. We all need each other. We all need communities to help us along the way and we can learn a great deal from one another even as we are all on our own unique journeys.
Arzon is known for her motivational talks during her Peloton rides. She herself successfully completed a complete career change, one that took years. It wasn’t easy. She has shared a bit about her own transformation and the steps she took along the way. It didn’t happen overnight for her. And whatever your goals are, they won’t happen overnight for you either.
This post is not so much a plug for Arzon’s new society as much as it is a reminder that we all need a little bit of swagger to be successful. Be proud. Be confident. Take the leap. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We are all works in progress. I believe in signs, so this morning on my way to work, as I listened to one of my regular podcasts, “Daily Reflections,” on the Hallow app, I saw (or rather heard) a sign. The co-host, Jeff Cavins, was talking about how things don’t come easy to everyone no matter how much it may seem that way. Here’s what he said:
Be grateful about what you have received and don’t grumble about the abundance left behind…Do not have the presumption to try and take in one draft what cannot be taken in one draft and do not abandon out of laziness what can only be taken little by little.
Wow. Profound words. A sign? Perhaps. The first assignment as part of the #swaggersociety is to publicly name a goal for the month of June, and after posting it on Instagram for all to see, go and seek out others who have done the same and engage. It takes a village. No one is an island. And we all have swagger.