W2D3 (sort of) and facing doubt

Two things today. First, I attempted w2d3 this morning and it didn't go all that well. I went home early from work yesterday with an upset stomach and slept a long time last night in the hopes that I'd feel better. I slept in until almost 9 (unheard of!) and decided to just go do it. I messed up the timing on my warm up walk and tried to run longer than week 2 is supposed to be. The sun was up in full force and there isn't much shade, and I just didn't feel great. I wound up walking most of the time, but at least I got outside. Phooey.

Second, I received the following email from SparkPeople as today's Healthy Reflection. 

Thinking for yourself in the face of doubt
If you accept someone else's idea of reality and personal limits, you'll have no control over your own destiny. You can only go as far as that view will let you. Do you normally accept things as they are, or do you ask "why" and "what if"? Being an individual and thinking for yourself--even while others are calling you crazy--takes courage. For many, trying a new perspective is scary. But if we always stick to the familiar, the known, we never grow and learn. Don't be afraid to go against the grain. Ask the tough questions that everyone else is afraid to ask. Try a new way to do the same thing just to see what happens. We guarantee you that the world won't end. You'll see solutions that nobody else would see if they're all looking at a problem the same way. Practice new ways to combine unrelated objects. After all, somebody had to try peanut butter and jelly for the first time. 

This makes me think about a lot of different things. The first thought that comes to mind is my running. I swear I am the slowest runner in the world. Even John The Penguin runs faster than I do. I'm trying not to care. I'm learning to run and I'm enjoying (most of) the journey.

The next thing I think of is my workout schedule. People tease me all the time about how early I must have to go to bed in order to work out at 5 am. Yes, I go to bed early. Most of those people that give me a hard time about it don't workout in the mornings; in fact they don't work out at all. So I ignore their jokes about how boring I must be and I cherish the fact that I have taken my health seriously enough to do something about it. I also hope that my health improvements become an inspiration to them to do something for themselves, too.

The next thing it makes me think of is my job. There are a lot of little things I do all the time that I just do because "that's how we do things." When I run across things that seem inefficient, I owe it to myself, and to my teammates, to speak up if I have a better suggestion.

What about you? What doubts does society, or other people, have about what you do that's important to you? How do you think for yourself and overcome those doubts?