They didn't quit!

On Monday April 15, 2019 my beautiful wife Lori and I had the opportunity to cheer on the athletes that were participating in the 123rd running of the Boston Marathon.  We were also blessed that our vantage point was along the notorious Heartbreak Hill!

I am sure that Heartbreak Hill is not the longest or steepest hill in the world.  And it may not be the longest or steepest in the running world either.  But what I can tell you is that it starts right after mile marker twenty and if you are an exhausted runner staring up from the base it looks like it may go on forever.  Needless to stay it can be very intimidating and can break your mental will.

We spent several hours on the hill watching thousands of runners pass by.  And while the weather on this race day was not the worst they've ever seen ... it was definitely unpredictable.  I grew up in  New England so I wasn't bothered much by the sudden changes on this "Spring" day, Lori however was much more susceptible to sudden and constant changes in temperature, wind, sunshine and moisture.   Coat on, gloves on.  Gloves off, coat off.  Coat on, gloves on.  Coat off, gloves off.  Rain coat on, rain coat off.  Suns out, get more water. Here comes more clouds, coat on ...

Though the temperatures weren't extreme (if you were just watching the race), the need for appropriate weather gear was there.  If you were a runner on heartbreak hill while there was a light shower you probably welcomed it.  However, if the sun was out while you were climbing this hill and heading towards mile marker twenty-one you were probably hating life and questioning why you ever committed to this run.

Despite the weather changes and Heartbreak Hill we did not see a single runner quit.  There were many that ran by very focused, seemingly oblivious to the cheering crowds that lined the course.  There were quite a few runners that reached out for a high-five and inspiration.  There were even a few that slowed down to dance to the beats that the Lululemon DJ was pumping out.  And, yes, there were also plenty that passed by with the "joy of running" on their faces [ironic inside joke: I say this to my wife when we are out running and I see someone that doesn't look like they want to be out there running either].  But none of these people quit.

I have no idea what happened after they climbed Heartbreak Hill and perhaps there were even a few participants that didn't quite make it to heartbreak hill.  But from my vantage point I didn't see any quitters!

With most goals you don't have to come in first to be a winner.  Not quitting can be winning!  Finishing can be winning!  And, starting is definitely winning if it's the Boston Marathon!

         Interesting facts from an article posted on January 19, 2014 at MarathonTrainingSchedule that prove "Starting is winning!":
         15. "... running for an hour a few times a week can lower your blood pressure readings 12mgs
         25. "... approximately 0.5% of the U.S. population has run a marathon"
         35. "Running (and preparing for a marathon) improves job performance."

Have a blessed day!

The Fifth of Life's Secret Ingredients (5 of 10 or more)

Courage is the fifth of life's secret ingredients!

Courage can come out in many areas of our lives and in small amounts or great big amounts.  Your courage might appear when you are at a friend's house and you are presented with something new and different to eat.  Have you ever had frog legs? They taste like chicken ... really!  Your courage might show up when you are walking down the street and you see someone trying to snatch a woman's purse.  Have you ever jumped into action to stop a crime or save a life?

Yes, courage comes in many forms and in many sizes.  The most important courage to have though is "the courage of your convictions!"  What is meant by this as defined in freedictionary.com:

   "To have enough courage and determination to carry out one's goals."

Secret #3 (Passion) will help you find your courage and feed your courage as you pursue your dream or goal.  You must be prepared for the naysayers, for those who don't truly believe in you or your ideas.  So many people in life will hold you back because they will project their beliefs on you.  They assume that if something scares them a lot, or looks like more work than it's worth ... well, then you should be scared too, or that you won't get out of it nearly what you put into it.

      [1) don't be one of those people;  and B) ignore their fears and place your own value on your own goals]

I am not saying to be stupid about pursuing your dreams/goals.  Courage and stupidity do not have to go hand in hand!  You may not have the education or training to cure cancer, so you don't cash in your retirement accounts and open a lab in your garage.  But you can have the courage to start your own charity 5K run to raise funding and awareness for a cure, learning as you go and donating the money to a research team that you believe can move the needle.  You may not have the training to own a restaurant, so you wouldn't buy a building, lease equipment and open one tomorrow.  But you can start working in one, get the knowledge, be a student of the industry and work towards that goal.

Metaphorically, having courage will not only allow you climb mountains, it will allow you to move mountains!  Have a great day!

The Fourth of Life's Secret Ingredients (4 of 10 or more)

Focus.

Oh, if we only had more focus in our lives.  Can you imagine all of the things that you could accomplish in life if you had the ability to focus on one thing at a time?  Remember that big idea that you had a half dozen years ago?  The one that you started to mess around with, the one that you thought "this is it!"  But then you got distracted (lost focus) and never went back to or perhaps did, but then lost focus again.

Well, I am telling you now that focus is one of "Life's Secret Ingredients".  You don't need focus to live, but you do need focus to accomplish more or much of the things that you want to accomplish in life.

Is it easy to stay focused? No.  Is it simple to stay focused? Yes!

Staying focused on what is important to you really is simple.  All you need is a piece of paper, something to write with and about ten minutes of time (daily, at first).  Once you have all of those things together you can begin to focus.  Here are the instructions:

Step 1:  In one minute, quickly right down the things that you most want to accomplish in life
Step 2: Categorize them (health, spirituality, professionally/career, family, fun)
Step 3: Take the most important one from each category and put it on it's on piece of paper (3x5 index card is a good choice)
Step 4: Tape them to your mirror in your bathroom
Step 5: Read them out loud to yourself in the morning when you get up and at night when you go to bed
Step 6: Once you are thinking about these goals and start to focus on them you will need to spend more time planning and working towards achieving them.  Depending on your goal it could simply mean that you carve out 'real' vacation time (no phone, no email, completely disconnect).  Others might take additional planning and resources (ex. building a zero friction, zero input, continuous energy plant).  Once you are focused, staying focused will be as easy as keeping those cards posted on your mirror. While you are at it, why not make a set to keep in your planner or coat pocket?


Super Top Secret:  Write them down, do not just type them into your electronic device.  Believe it or not, the act of physically writing them on paper activates something in your mind that makes it real.