Shelby runs for Tererai Trent International
Donation protected
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had a dream of running a full marathon. I have always told myself ‘If I could run 42.1kms, I could do anything!’ However, as most of us know, it is a lot easier to dream about something, than it is to go about doing it. So, I kept the dream buried safely in the back of my mind until I felt the time was right.
When kikki.K’s (the amazing company I work for) founder, Kristina Karlsson wrote a book titled Your Dream Life Starts Here, we were lucky enough to each receive a copy. I remember holding it in my hands and thinking to myself, “This is not just any book, but a book about dreaming!” and getting an overwhelming sense of hope.
As I worked through the first guided activity in the book where you begin your journey by dreaming without limits and writing down all of the dreams you can imagine (teeny dreams, small dreams, big dreams, and blue-sky-thinking dreams) onto paper, I quickly realised that running my very first marathon and becoming the strongest, fittest and healthiest version of myself were my top priorities as they were the first things I wrote!
Using the rest of the activities throughout the book to help me set actionable goals to inch me closer to my dream, I reached out to my friend Sonia, who works for the kikki.K store I started at. There’s so much power when you share your dreams, and after a quick chat with Sonia I realised that she can help me to achieve my dreams! She sent me a personalised 16-week training plan and offered her guidance and support, so I had everything I needed and was ready to go.
Starting my first week of training at the beginning of May, which consisted of a morning and evening training session (yes, you read that right, two training sessions a day!), I was tired and sore, but deep down I felt fantastic as I knew I was taking steps towards my dream life and my big, scary dream was fast approaching!
About five weeks into training I started to feel really good – I noticed my sleep was improving and quickly becoming a priority, my mental health was dramatically improving, as well as my healthy eating and hydration plans – everything was starting to fall into place!
When I took a moment to sit down and register for the August 4th marathon, the entry form asked whether I was running for a charity or not… I don’t know why I didn’t think about that! Of course I was going to be running for a charity! This was my way to give back to the community through something I was doing to improve my life, so why not share the goodness I’m manifesting with others to improve their lives along the way?
The charity I chose is one that’s close to my heart, and for that reason it was obviously my first choice! The Tererai Trent International Foundation is an incredible charity founded by Oprah’s all-time favourite guest, Dr. Tererai Trent, and provides access to quality education for children in Zimbabwe, regardless of their socioeconomic background. I first discovered the Tererai Trent International Foundation through Kristina’s Your Dream Life Starts Here book as US $1 from every book sold is being donated to Tererai’s foundation.
During Kristina’s Australian book tour, Tererai shared her dreams from when she was a young woman and how her mother told her the most important thing was to have a dream that was focused on giving back. All Tererai wanted was an education for herself, but she then chose to dream without limits and take her dream further to provide education for others. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to do whatever I could to give back to her cause.
I’m less than five weeks out from my race. I am more motivated and inspired at training knowing my marathon will be helping to provide education for children. As the kilometres are getting higher, I am keeping my dreams top-of-mind to empower and inspire me to keep moving forward, to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
On August 4th I will be running my first ever marathon with the support of my friends and family, as well as my kikki.K family. I will run every step to donate to the charity I am so passionate about, privileged for the ability to help others in need. I want everyone to know that it all started by putting pen to paper and writing down my dreams, and that you too can achieve anything you desire.
When I held Kristina’s book in my hand and turned the first page, little did I know that my dreaming journey had begun. Thank you, Kristina for your empowering book and inspiring 101 million people to write down their dreams and go and chase them and thank you Tererai for giving us hope for a better future for all. As Tererai always says, “Tinogona!” which means “It is achievable!”
If you would like to help me raise money for an INCREDIBLE cause, please donate today!
When kikki.K’s (the amazing company I work for) founder, Kristina Karlsson wrote a book titled Your Dream Life Starts Here, we were lucky enough to each receive a copy. I remember holding it in my hands and thinking to myself, “This is not just any book, but a book about dreaming!” and getting an overwhelming sense of hope.
As I worked through the first guided activity in the book where you begin your journey by dreaming without limits and writing down all of the dreams you can imagine (teeny dreams, small dreams, big dreams, and blue-sky-thinking dreams) onto paper, I quickly realised that running my very first marathon and becoming the strongest, fittest and healthiest version of myself were my top priorities as they were the first things I wrote!
Using the rest of the activities throughout the book to help me set actionable goals to inch me closer to my dream, I reached out to my friend Sonia, who works for the kikki.K store I started at. There’s so much power when you share your dreams, and after a quick chat with Sonia I realised that she can help me to achieve my dreams! She sent me a personalised 16-week training plan and offered her guidance and support, so I had everything I needed and was ready to go.
Starting my first week of training at the beginning of May, which consisted of a morning and evening training session (yes, you read that right, two training sessions a day!), I was tired and sore, but deep down I felt fantastic as I knew I was taking steps towards my dream life and my big, scary dream was fast approaching!
About five weeks into training I started to feel really good – I noticed my sleep was improving and quickly becoming a priority, my mental health was dramatically improving, as well as my healthy eating and hydration plans – everything was starting to fall into place!
When I took a moment to sit down and register for the August 4th marathon, the entry form asked whether I was running for a charity or not… I don’t know why I didn’t think about that! Of course I was going to be running for a charity! This was my way to give back to the community through something I was doing to improve my life, so why not share the goodness I’m manifesting with others to improve their lives along the way?
The charity I chose is one that’s close to my heart, and for that reason it was obviously my first choice! The Tererai Trent International Foundation is an incredible charity founded by Oprah’s all-time favourite guest, Dr. Tererai Trent, and provides access to quality education for children in Zimbabwe, regardless of their socioeconomic background. I first discovered the Tererai Trent International Foundation through Kristina’s Your Dream Life Starts Here book as US $1 from every book sold is being donated to Tererai’s foundation.
During Kristina’s Australian book tour, Tererai shared her dreams from when she was a young woman and how her mother told her the most important thing was to have a dream that was focused on giving back. All Tererai wanted was an education for herself, but she then chose to dream without limits and take her dream further to provide education for others. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to do whatever I could to give back to her cause.
I’m less than five weeks out from my race. I am more motivated and inspired at training knowing my marathon will be helping to provide education for children. As the kilometres are getting higher, I am keeping my dreams top-of-mind to empower and inspire me to keep moving forward, to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
On August 4th I will be running my first ever marathon with the support of my friends and family, as well as my kikki.K family. I will run every step to donate to the charity I am so passionate about, privileged for the ability to help others in need. I want everyone to know that it all started by putting pen to paper and writing down my dreams, and that you too can achieve anything you desire.
When I held Kristina’s book in my hand and turned the first page, little did I know that my dreaming journey had begun. Thank you, Kristina for your empowering book and inspiring 101 million people to write down their dreams and go and chase them and thank you Tererai for giving us hope for a better future for all. As Tererai always says, “Tinogona!” which means “It is achievable!”
If you would like to help me raise money for an INCREDIBLE cause, please donate today!
Organizer
Shelby Allen
Organizer
Bli Bli, QLD