When someone leaves a job, it’s not unusual to say that they left to pursue new adventures. Usually that just means that they took a similar position elsewhere! But since leaving the Running for Real team, Maria Vargas truly has been having adventures.
It isn’t that she’s a lucky person who’s had opportunities fall in her lap, or that things just happen to go her way. Rather, she says, “I think a lot of it is mindset, and mindset leads to action. The more you do things, the more the universe will start kind of moving things in your direction.
Listen to the Running for Real podcast here:
Apple (iTunes) Podcast | Sticher | Castbox | Overcast | Spotify | Google Play | iHeartradio |
“I love the phrase, ‘It’s your world.’ A lot of things in life are out of our control. So it’s really great when they are in our control. And so it’s a balance of that and also allowing things to unfold as they’re going to unfold and not resisting the change.”
Allowing things to unfold is uncomfortable for many people. But, Maria says, we can approach it the way we do running, as a regular practice. “We don’t have to go on big trips to get the spirit of adventure or meeting people and being fulfilled. You can intentionally talk with people in line at the grocery store, at a coffee shop. Last year, I asked my Uber driver on the spot to go paragliding and she said, ‘Yes.’. And that led to a huge experience. A lot of times it’s just about kindness, like giving people a few minutes and you never know who you’re gonna meet. And then suddenly you’re a person who talks to strangers and has spontaneous experiences. Maybe to the bystander, it might appear like things just happen to you. But you know that deep inside it’s a habit; it’s a practice and a mindset and a philosophy.”
Maria is currently living an example of following that practice. She was in Paris for a few days, and while in a coffee shop, was chatting with the barista. “For whatever reason, I don’t even know why, I decided to ask him if he knew of anybody who was renting an apartment. And he said, ‘I don’t know of anyone off the top of my head. But if you want to exchange numbers, I’m happy to just ask around.’ And so we did; we exchanged WhatsApp numbers, and maybe two or three hours later he replies and he says, ‘My friend is actually leaving for the summer and she has this beautiful apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower and she’s willing to talk with you and see if you can rent her apartment.’ And so I got in touch with her. We made an agreement and I spent a week in Switzerland, came back to Paris, and now I’m here in her apartment for the next three weeks.”
Along with the right mindset, it’s also important to have the right environment for personal growth. Your surroundings need to support your change, and that includes the people with whom you surround yourself. Maria refers to the saying that you’re the sum of the five people whom you spend the most time with. That doesn’t necessarily mean the ones you physically spend the most time with, but rather the ones who are the closest to you.
For Maria, those people are the ones whom she thinks of as being on the same frequency that she is. “It’s almost like every human has a radio frequency and sometimes when you meet someone who’s on a similar frequency channel, you just click. And so in my head it’s like, ‘Okay, we’re not always gonna be on the same frequency with everybody. But if, let’s say 70 or 80% of the time, we’re around people who are on similar frequencies, that’s when I feel really fulfilled or happy.’ And I feel like there’s more growth because there’s this mutual understanding that you can’t really put words to. There’s people who aren’t gonna be on similar frequencies and that’s okay too. But maybe it becomes a priority as we grow to find more people who are on those similar frequency radio channels.”
Maria has been embarking on adventures with Yes Theory lately, another example of how being open to one experience can lead to others. She was a fan of Yes Theory, and In November, she attended the premier of Project Iceman, a film they produced about Anders Hofman, the first person to complete an Ironman in Antarctica. She was in the receiving line, and, she says, “I was like, ‘Wait, I’m about to meet Ammar from Yes Theory and Anders and I don’t know what I’m gonna say to them.’
“I was the next person in line and it occurred to me to share with them that they had inspired me in part to do this 10 mile open water swim a couple of years ago. That was around the time when I had heard that Anders had done this Ironman in Antarctica, and in part, that’s what inspired me to say yes to swimming 10 miles. And so I was next in line and I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll tell them that story very quickly’ and I did and I think it might have just stuck in their heads. I’m not entirely sure. We probably had like 30 seconds worth of an interaction.”
Apparently it did stick in their heads. In March she got a message from Ammar, one of the founders and hosts of Yes Theory. “This was a Wednesday. He said, ‘Are you doing anything on Friday?’ I was like, ‘No, why do you ask?’ And he said, ‘Yes Theory is filming an episode in Florida. And we’d like to send you along with one of our videographers to film this episode. They didn’t really tell me the details other than I would fly to Orlando. So two days later, I fly to Orlando and we record this episode. I go boxing for the first time ever.”
Three weeks later they contacted her to tell her that she had been selected to go on a bigger event for their larger channel. “They didn’t tell me when or where or what we were doing or who we were doing it with. And so we kind of sat around waiting; it was me and two other people. One of them is from Australia and the other one is from Canada. And so finally, one of the last weeks in May I get an email and Yes Theory says, ‘We would like you to come to Germany next week’ and this was a Tuesday and they wanted me in Germany the following Thursday.
“I had already planned a trip to New York and Montreal that week and I would leave the next day. So I had to pack everything for an indefinite unknown amount of time and unknown what we were doing or where we were going within like three hours. And so, anyway, I go off to New York and Montreal and then they fly us into Germany and there we have this epic adventure with Yes Theory and it was like a bunch of strangers who just became friends instantly. And this is so special because it’s one of those things where I had it on my bucket list two years ago to one day do an adventure with Yes Theory and then it happened.” When Maria’s episode is released, you can watch it here.
As much as saying “Yes,” has worked out for Maria, she makes the point that “Life isn’t just about saying, ‘Yes,’ because when you say, ‘No,’ it also means saying ‘Yes’ to something else.” For example, while she was filming with Yes Theory, she was invited out after a long, tiring day. She decided to say “No” to the invitation and “Yes” to getting some rest, instead. “I think the important thing is when you consciously and intentionally say, ‘No,’ you should know what you’re saying ‘Yes’ to. If you say ‘No’ to going on a run, that probably means you’re saying ‘Yes’ to rest or to traveling or to something else.”
At the end of the day, she says, it’s about finding balance. “We have to have some sort of structure. We can’t not, but we also have to just release ourselves a little bit from our own constraints that we place upon what we do. Sometimes it’s just being a little bit more flexible with your plans. I don’t think there’s such a thing as coincidence; there are no coincidences. It’s only opportunities and doors to be opened and the people that you meet if you’re open to them. Then that sort of ends up taking on a life of its own.
resources:
Thank you to Becoming a Sustainable Runner, Tracksmith, and AG1 for sponsoring this episode.
Are you a runner? Do you care about the planet you run on? Would you like to use running to change the world for the better?
Becoming a Sustainable Runner will show you how.
Becoming a Sustainable Runner, by Tina Muir and Zoë Rom, is a practical guide for runners of all abilities and backgrounds who want to take meaningful action to protect our planet through their love of the sport. It’s available for pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Waterstones UK, Target, and many independent bookstores.
Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. For years the brand has elevated running wear using best-in-class materials and timeless silhouettes that perform at the highest level and can be worn everyday, not just for running.
Tracksmith helps the environment by making comfortable, durable clothes that will last for years, rather than winding up in the landfill, but that’s not the only contribution they make. They supported Running for Real in creating our RED-S: Realize. Reflect. Recover program. They help athletes who are trying to make the Olympic trials, and they offer scholarships for creatives to work on their crafts. They also have lots of events – Tina will be hosting events with them at the Boston and London marathons.
If you’re a new customer, go here and use the code TINANEW at checkout to get $15 off your order of $75 or more. Returning customers can use the code TINAGIVE, and Tracksmith will give you free shipping and donate 5% of your order to TrackGirlz.
AG1 is the daily Foundational Nutrition supplement that delivers comprehensive nutrients to support whole-body health.
With its science-driven formulation of vitamins, probiotics, and whole-food sourced nutrients, AG1 replaces your multivitamin, probiotic, and more in one simple, drinkable habit. And just as importantly, it actually tastes good!
If a comprehensive solution is what you need from your supplemental routine, go here and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND five free AG1 Travel Packs with your first order!
Thanks for listening!
If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Stitcher, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you enjoy Running for Real, please leave us a review!
Keep up with what’s going on at Running for Real by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
Join the newsletter
This is not your usual email newsletter. With Tina’s personal reflections and recommendations, suggestions of things to do, thoughts to contemplate, and some updates, this newsletter is one that you’ll WANT to read, not hit “delete” as soon as you see it.
Follow Tina on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You’ll find Running for Real on Instagram too!
Want to be a member of the Running for Real community? Join #Running4Real Superstars on Facebook!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for additional content, including our RED-S: Realize. Reflect. Recover series of 50+ videos.
Thank you for your support – we appreciate each and every one of you!
