Ready... Set... Uplift

Hey Gals!

Welcome to our NEW UpLift-her blog, brought to you by Live Light-her!

Are you a gal in need of an energy boost to overcome a challenge and no amount of caffeine will suffice? Are you ready to live life to the fullest and realize your God-given potential? We have Good News...we are here to lift you up and beyond whatever has been holding you back! Our Live Light-her Co-founder Teel Smegal, is a chief UpLift-her on a mission to encourage and equip every gal for her journey to live life lighter ~Live Light-her.

If walking by faith, at a pace of peace, and stretching beyond anything you could ask, think, or imagine sounds like an adventure for you, our UpLift-her Blog is here to help guide you on your journey while our Encourage-her Community (coming soon) is a place for our faith-fueled tribe to cheer each other on. Once the Encourage-her Community launches we would invite you to cheer on other gals in the Encourage-her tribe whenever you can and from wherever you are. In the meantime, keep encouraging those around you who may be discouraged, disoriented and disappointed. Together, we lift the girls!

UpLift-her posts are primarily composed and curated by Teel using Authentic Inspiration, an alternative AI (see disclaimer below). Throughout posts, she will share experiences and insights from her own journey as well as highlight fellow adventurers. She will re-energize your heart with real stories of inspiration and courage, while equipping you with trusted resources (books, articles, podcasts, art and music) and practical tips to help you persevere to brighter days on your Live Light-her way.

Before Teel launches into posting stories and sharing resources to help you on your way, please allow us a moment to introduce her to you.

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Her story goes a little something like this...

SHE BELIEVED SHE COULD, SO SHE DID...check the boxes of success - have a beautiful family, climb the corporate ladder, earn her MBA, exercise religiously, and volunteer at her local church & non-profits! Sound familiar?

BUT this was the identity SHE projected for the world to see, not "the whole true me". SHE said, SHE tried to CONTROL “so they wouldn't KNOW...”

SHE BELIEVED SHE COULD...do anything if she worked really, really, hard in her own strength and even prayed most days, for things to go her way.

SO, SHE DID...get tired, overwhelmed, scared, burnt-out and stuck! Can you relate?

BUT THEN GOD (HE) STEPPED IN... checked her HEART (took her pulse) and SHE started to run (literally and figuratively) a different race at a different pace! Interested?

NOW...SHE BELIEVES SHE CAN, BECAUSE HE DID... take her place in exchange AND HE DOES... love her as she is, SO SHE CAN...let go and Live Light-her - walk by faith, learn the pace of peace, run her race while helping others run theirs and stretch her limits...

SHE BELIEVES SHE CAN, BECAUSE HE DID AND HE DOES, SO SHE CAN, AND TOGETHER, THEY ARE...going beyond what she had dreamt or imagined possible!

If Teel's story or even part of her story rings true to you, she would like to invite you to join her on her journey to live life lighter ~Live Light-her. Are you in?

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Awesome! Let's begin...

Ready...set...wait...hold up a second! I love your enthusiasm, but before you decide to join me, you may want to know a little more about what you are getting into. May I suggest you consider the cost to your heart, your mind, and your soul before embarking on the trail less traveled to Live Light-her.

This past spring, I had the amazing opportunity to run the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim Grand Canyon Ultra-Challenge with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. We started our adventure on the South Rim and ran-walk-jogged almost to the top of the North Rim, then back again to the South Rim. Our awesome adventure required we trek over 47 miles while climbing over 10,000 feet of elevation. We finished in less than 16 hours, and although our finish time didn't set any speed records, we were steadfast and together, we finished. As we traversed the Grand Canyon, two times in the same day, my head, heart and heels were put to the ultimate test. Also, my don't quit capacity was stretched beyond my imagination, while the life lessons reiterated along the way were abundant.

The most obvious lessons were those plainly posted on the trail head signs, warning of the dangers ahead. A trail head sign is posted to give the journeyer another chance to consider the risk (potential cost) right before they begin the trek. Most of the tried and truly strenuous trails start with signs to include essential information such as the distance and elevation. Some signs are kind enough to remind us of the basics of staying hydrated and fueled while also packing as light as possible. There are also those trails without signs. Trails yet to be blazed and best journeyed with an experienced guide. With that said, every steadfast journeyer knows anything worth doing, is worth doing well, may not have been done before, and has a high probability of being extremely difficult while requiring tremendous sacrifice without the guarantee of "success". Have you considered what it is worth to you to get to where you are going?

In the deepest dark before the early morning dawn, under the stars, the three of us set out from the South Rim on Bright Angel Trail. As we stepped onto the trail with our headlamps securely fastened, allowing us to see a few feet in front of us, my heart began to simultaneously palpitate with nervousness and excitement. Within a few strides of starting out, my headlamp caught the unwelcome shimmer of something glistening across the trail in the darkness. To my dismay, there was ice coating the path, which meant we were going to descend a slick trail without the proper equipment. We needed ice traction cleats, and we didn't have them. Have you ever started a journey only to quickly find out you may not have what you think you need?

Beyond cautiously running on an icy trail without the right shoes, on my mind, something else had caught my attention. When I had the chance to look up in-between careful strides, my headlamp briefly swept past the words on a warning sign or two. I barely had enough time to read them, but I got the general idea. From what I was able to glean, the posted trail warning signs didn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about the journey ahead. I should have stopped to take a picture, but I didn't. I couldn't. I was laser focused on trying not to fall. Every stride felt as if I would slip and slide off into the abyss. As I reflect, I am reminded of how critical it is to know what to focus my energy on and where to shine my light otherwise I may lose my balance, slipping into darkness. Have you ever been distracted and lost your way?

Despite my intense focus on maintaining my balance, while jogging the icy trail, the big trail sign message was on my mind. The sign read something like this...Down is Optional, Up is Mandatory and continued with... each year there are over 350 rescues for ill or injured hikers who don't plan and prepare properly. Yikes, I was already off to a "shaky" start with poor planning, considering I didn't have the recommended shoe spikes for the ice. There was good news, the sign also mentioned the importance of staying fueled. We had put a lot of thought and effort into our refueling packs. We had filled our packs with lightweight food, rich in calories for long-term energy, and pure H2O as well as electrolyte dense fluids. We knew refueling regularly throughout the journey would make the difference between giving up in the valley or continuing to the rim. Have you ever felt like giving up and realized with a little rest and refueling you can keep going?

Knowing we had thoughtfully prepared our refueling needs made me feel a little better

about the trek ahead. My confidence in my stride was growing as we shuffled down the ice trail which freed space in my mind to wander back to the trail signs. I kept thinking about what I had read, "down is optional" and "up is mandatory". Could it be true? Is down optional and up mandatory? For this adventure, I had trained for several months. I had planned supplies (maybe not well enough, but I did). Furthermore, I had paid for the trip and made the flight from Ohio to Arizona. With friends supporting and family running alongside, I had started to trek the trail. Despite what the sign said, I considered myself committed, and down was no longer optional. Descending and ascending the walls of the Grand Canyon were required for me to finish what I had started.

As we descended past the snow line, into the valley of the Canyon, the ice began to disappear, and my mind continued to drift back to the question. Is down optional? For me, down was only an option if I was willing to abandon the mission and at this point, I wasn't willing. I began to recall a term I had learned in business school, "sunk cost fallacy". For some reason, this term had stuck with me all these years later. Sunk cost fallacy is when you invest (money, time, and other resources) into something and continue to invest without being able to recover value. Another way to say it is, you keep going knowing full well there is no return on investment (ROI). The sunk cost fallacy mindset can quickly bankrupt a business or an individual. Have you considered the return on your investment of your time, talent and treasure?

About a month before our Grand Canyon adventure, I had taken a big and bold step of faith. I had resigned from my successful 15-year career in Corporate America (more to come on this at another time). Throughout my career, on several occasions, I had first-hand experience of the sunk cost fallacy playing out. We would invest money in a project or a program and continue to invest, doing the same thing while unrealistically expecting a different result. Now that I think of it, this sounds like my roller coaster dieting experiences throughout much of my life. Trying similar weight loss strategies, spending time and money followed by more time and money, only to get the same result. Have you experienced sunk cost thinking before?

At first glance, I could see how phrases like sunk cost fallacy and steadfast commitment or walking by faith seem interchangeable. I suppose, "betting" and "believing" could also be considered close cousins depending on your perspective. We could all probably identify countless similarities in interpretations of words or phrases depending on your perspective. What about, "compassion & compromise" or "complacency & contentment". As I write this, I can think of a plethora more to consider. Although perspective plays a big role in how we differentiate between sunk cost and walking by faith or any of the others mentioned, our perspective is developed by our view of “what” success is and our “why”.

Some of you may consider running the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (R2R2R) crazy, ridiculous, worthless and most certainly a sunk cost of time, energy, and money. While others would consider this a beautiful, awe-inspiring and worthwhile journey of tenacious training and steadfast commitment. Our what and why for doing something determines the worth. What something is valued at is determined by what someone is willing to pay. Our “what” plus our “why” determines the worth, or personal value. From my experience, our “what” is important but our “why” is exponentially important. If our “why” is rooted from the heart in something we love or have compassion for, there is exponential super, stick-with-it, staying, power. Have you ever paused long enough to ask yourself, what am I trying to get to and why am I trying to get there?

Typically, our first response to the question “why” won’t be the real, true or purest “why”. The true “why” is found several clicks deeper when we keep asking why. Why do I want to make this change, have children, go back to school, start a new business, lose weight or achieve a goal? Because…you fill in the blank. Good answer. Now really, why? Good answer. Now really, why? This will get you about three clicks deep. You may need to ask why a couple more times to discover your deep rooted why or what I like to call the pure why. Whatever the answer to your why, you need to know your pure why. Here's why you need to know your why. At some point in your journey, you will be required to make trade-off’s and knowing what you are willing to trade-in or trade-off will determine if you finish well, if you will see ROI. The only way to know if you finished well is to have clarified your "what". Knowing your pure why allows you to strengthen your try (your resolve) to carry on to your what despite the challenges, and I can guarantee there will be challenges. Do you know your pure why and what? Have you considered what you are willing to trade-in or trade-off to reach it?

As we crossed the valley and started our first ascension up the North Rim, about 20-ish miles in, I started to weaken. The climb was incredibly tough and although we had loaded our packs with liquids, I had only taken a few calculated sips along the way. We had heard the water from the ranger stations had been making hikers sick. Water is essential on any run, walk, hike or even on any given day but today, on this run, down in the hot valley of the Grand Canyon, water was critical. Obviously, I didn’t want to get sick on the way out because I still had to make it back up again. I was determined to make my water last as long as possible in order not to fill up along the way out. By choosing not to drink much water I was hopeful I would not get sick and be able to finish. This may not have been the best choice, but I didn’t know it at the time. There are times, our “why” can fuel so much determination to finish something we are willing to exchange healthy for unhealthy. Determination is required and is a very powerful trait for any journeyer as are adaptability and wisdom. Knowing your “why”, in advance, won’t always make the best choice clear, but it does allow you to better consider your trade-offs while under stress. Have you ever tried to make it to your destination, while running on E, hoping you could go just one more mile but instead you run out of gas?

Although, I knew drinking plenty of water and refueling along the trail were essential to finishing, it was our “why” that kept me going despite my tremendous thirst. We were three, average, middle-aged, non-super athlete adults running R2R2R of the Grand Canyon, and we had a good reason. As the three of us continued deeper into the canyon our true “why” became the fuel of perseverance to keep us going despite our weariness, our pain, our desire to quit and hitch a ride with a mule or better yet, call in the helicopter rescue. Our first and second level responses to the “why” question were for the amazing views and for a physical, mental and emotional challenge unlike any other. Also, it was my brother-in-law’s birthday. Our deeper level answer to why, several clicks in, was where we were able to muster extra strength from. We were doing this to help those who couldn’t help themselves, or at least don't believe they can. We were running R2R & Repeat to raise awareness, money and prayers for a local non-profit fighting against human trafficking and trauma, specifically for women who had been sex trafficked. Have you ever found yourself doing more, going further or harder for someone else?

Despite our good-hearted reason for wanting to accomplish our fearsome challenge, we didn’t quite make it to the top of the North Rim. Less than half a mile to the top of the North Rim, part of the trail had been completely washed out. It is hard to describe the monumental obstacles we had already overcome to this point and it is even harder to describe the dismay we all felt about the possibility of turning around without touching the top. This brought me back to the warning sign from earlier with Down is Optional, Up is Mandatory written on it. I asked myself, is up mandatory? It was if I wanted to have my picture taken with the North Rim sign, proving I was there. We knew another big climb would be required finish on top of the South Rim, but we had to ask ourselves if up was mandatory this time. The decision to continue or turn-around became more complicated by the dangerous mix of adrenaline and exhaustion whirling throughout our bodies. We had enough good thinking left in us to realize we needed to stop and consider the risk. Have you considered pausing, praying and waiting before your next move?

We paused, caught our breath, drank some water and sent a flare prayer up for other possible ways to cross the washed-out trail, while minimizing the risk of dying. Every solution we came up with still resulted in a high-risk scenario. Now, we had to ask ourselves if we thought the high risk was going to be worth the reward. Every part of our adventuring spirits wanted to continue, but the logical (huge leap distance), rational (leg strength zapped) and wise (our children wanted us to come home) part of us said, not this time. As much as I wanted to touch the North Rim sign and have my picture taken with it, I knew this had little to do with my pure reason of helping trafficked women and instead had more to do with my pride. Have you ever done something with good intentions and realized self-centered ambition is driving you?

It was in this moment I remembered the Biblical Proverb, “pride comes before the fall”. Never had this Proverb been more real to me than in this moment. From previous experiences, I knew how easily my thinking could get tangled into a web of self-centeredness, emotional disappointment and irrational thoughts. Pride told me if I didn’t make it to the top, I was going to let my family and friends down. If I didn’t make it to the top, I would never be able to finish anything well. Pride said, I would be considered a failure because I had stopped short. Pride lied! Pride tried to confuse me, BUT our pause allowed my heart a moment to reflect on truth. Has pride ever overwhelmed you with partial truths woven with real truth, making it hard to know the difference?

The truth of the matter was, this stop was only a small part of our long race. Pride wanted me to continue in my own strength, my own way, while grace reminded me to pace and embrace the journey with compassionate commitment. Grace covers the gap between here and there. There were still many miles to go on our trek and finishing this long race would only be possible by grace. Grace allowed me to be grateful for the journey. Grace isn’t weak. Grace gives strength enough to let go. Grace humbled my overly zealous ambitious adventuring spirit. Grace allowed us to realize the reward was not worth the risk, this time, and we made the U-turn. Sometimes a 180 is just what you need to finish well. Have you ever been so focused on your task or mission, you forget to take care of yourself and miss seeing your impact on others along the way?

Stopping shy of the North Rim was a tough decision, but we didn’t have much time to lament, if we were going to finish by dark. There were over 23 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation between where we were and our finish. I was going to need every ounce of energy and strength I could muster, if I was going to persevere back up the other side. I was tired and if I am completely honest, still feeling a little defeated. Just enough to crack the door for self-defeating thoughts like “this is impossible” to join my pity party. Knowing I didn’t have time or energy for a pity party, I was going to need to call in reinforcements.

Trekking alone isn’t good, although sometimes required, while trekking together is best. Trekking together gave me a chance to say it and slay it (crush it). My fellow trekkers, my family, encouraged me! They reinforced the reminders of how far we had come, how much we had trained and how we were going to finish, together. I once heard someone quote this as an African proverb, “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” Never was this truer than in this moment. I refocused on the mission and started to put one foot in front of the other. Have you ever wanted to stop, give up, or give in when along comes someone to encourage you at just the right moment?

Reaching the South Rim by dark meant we were going to need to move through the valley floor with a steady pace while keeping enough strength in reserve to make the climb back up the south canyon wall. As we ran our return route along the canyon floor my head started to throb, and my legs started to cramp. I had experienced this a few times while training which clued me in to what was going on with my body. I was completely dehydrated! I had been trying to conserve water too much. I had trekked over 30 miles and drunk less than a large water bottle’s worth of H2O. Being dehydrated is dangerous, especially dangerous when running the Grand Canyon. Never in my first-world life had I ever felt more desperate for something as simple and usually easily accessible as water. Have you ever felt the pain of needing something or the desperation of wanting something and not being able to get it?

As I continued, I started to think about those who do not have access to water, let alone clean water. I was tired and dehydrated but I believed I would eventually find water to drink. I tried to distract my mind from the pain by thanking God for all I had to be grateful for. I wonder if gratefulness has natural anti-inflammatory properties because somehow it seemed to reduce the pain. About a mile later, right before we would begin our final ascension back up Bright Angel Trail, we came upon Phantom Ranch. If I would have been able to gather enough strength to jump for joy, I would have. Instead, I settled for the biggest grateful grin I could muster. Not only did I refill my water, but I also experienced the most amazing and refreshing lemonade ever. I needed water but I got water and lemonade. Wow! Our brief stop at Phantom Ranch was just what I needed. The next and final “up” was going to be ridiculously difficult. After our “oh SO good” lemonade, we started back up Bright Angel Trail. The same trail we had started on in the morning. It didn’t take long for my renewed strength to start dwindling and my mind to wander. Have you ever asked for something and instead of getting what you asked for you got something so much better?

Once again, my mind began to wander back to the trail sign message, “Down is optional. Up is mandatory.” Here we were on our final up. Again, I asked myself, is “up” mandatory?”. Initially, this was an easy answer. Yes, “up” is required! I knew the trek up was going to be one of the most beautiful, amazing, and exhilarating experiences while also being one of the most grueling, strenuous and exhausting. It was all of that and then some! The “up” didn’t let me down. On occasion, I was able to look up from my feet and look out to the canyon floor below. I was in awe of God’s craftmanship and paused long enough to take a couple pics. As tired as I was and as much as I didn’t want to pause. I knew from previous experience, if I didn’t take pictures, I would have wished I did. Have you ever looked back on something and wished you would have paused a little longer to capture the moment?

As the sun started to set, the glow from dusk started to highlight all the unique cracks and crevices. The glow glistened on a couple small patches of hearty deep green blue grass tucked in the corners of the red rocks along the trail. I was amazed at how strong the grass was to grow between rocks and sand. As my eyes lifted and caught the horizon, over the canyon, I was awestruck by the wispy peachy-pink clouds swirled together with a light blue and lavender sky. The view was breathtaking! While the view was breathtaking, the steep climb was taking all my breath. Although exhaustion brought me back to reality, the view from above brought a powerful reassurance and hope. Have you ever focused on the temporal fine details so much you lose sight of the eternal big picture?

Our hope for the top of the rim to be near was confirmed. A few landmarks started to look familiar, including the trail warning signs I had noticed near the start. What I had once thought was nearly impossible from the canyon floor below was starting to come into view. Within a mile or so we would reach the top of the canyon and it was going to take every ounce of strength I could rally, not to lay down and say, “I’m done, please send down the mule for me”. I kept going, but my stride which had already diminished to walk-with-a-hop now resembled a penguin shuffle. With every shuffle step, I kept asking Jesus to please give me just a little more strength to keep going. AND He did! Arriving at the top of Bright Angel Trail under a starlit sky, with my biggest fan, my husband, and other proud fans, my nieces, waiting with scrumptious pizza in hand, was a sight, ever SO grand! Does the distance between where you are and where you want to be, look like a canyon of impossibility?

The way something looks, impossible versus possible, is shaped by our perspective as well as our viewpoint, also known as our point of view (POV). Until recently, I had believed viewpoint and perspective to be the same, but there is difference. The difference between the two is less important than realizing both will impact the narrative we believe. Both our viewpoint, close-up or far away, and perspective, full color or black and white, curate our interpretation. When I remember God has already authored my story from His all-knowing POV, my perspective is one of God-given purpose, despite the canyons.

About six months ago, to the day, I took a leap of crazy faith, I stepped down from the rim of the known and secure, into canyons of unknown next steps, unrealized plans and unexpected encounters. I and my supportive family went all in when I resigned from my successful career to pursue my God-given dream and purpose. A dream to encourage and equip women to passionately pursue their purpose, while generating resources to help less advantaged women, which birthed into Live Light-her. For me, living life lighter ~Live Light-her has been about living the “light” of Christ gal style, which requires wholehearted commitment to His mission. My trek has required trusting and not testing, continuing and not complaining, seeking and not settling, listening and not leading as well as waiting but not wasting. My wholehearted commitment to living by faith may be perceived as loss or sunk cost to those viewing my journey, there are times I question myself, but I am going to keep running my race, at His pace, trusting Him for the Win.

The journey to live life lighter ~Live Light-her, comes with freedom to step off the treadmill, onto trails of unimagined adventure with breathtaking views, while trekking through grand canyons of unknowns and challenges. If the Live Light-her trek were to come with a trail head sign it may read something like this: Distance: Unknown – remaining life span. Elevation: Unlimited – height of heaven to earth. Trail traveled best together. Rest regularly and refuel often. Pack light. Beware of Pitfalls & Predators. Most common and aggressive are pride, fear, unbelief, worry and unforgiveness. Down is required, staying down is not optional. Up is required, as is helping others up. The Live Light-her way requires whole-hearted commitment to walking by faith, learning the pace of peace, focusing on your own race while helping others run theirs and a willingness to stretch beyond self-imposed limits. While the journey is hard, especially through the canyons, reaching the rims of God given purpose while being filled with love, joy and peace will be worth the climb.

Are you ready to let go, let God and Live Light-her?

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Disclaimer: All UpLift-her posts are written using AI. Although we think there is tremendous value to using Artificial Intelligence, we are choosing to use a different AI. All our posts are written from the heart using Authentic Inspiration, the ultimate AI.