Success, success.
“Good Job. “ “ Keep it up. “ Nice work. “ These were many of the phrases I heard and spoke to each trail runner during this race. Everyone was quietly looking at the ground, their steps and just kept running or walking. As we passed each other, we would look up briefly, maintain eye contact and say one of those words, and keep moving back in the zone.
On social media or when we get a token of appreciation for what we do it is hard to ignore the journey that one has been on. We may see the success of Musk, Bezos, or Einstein, or Olympic winners or when we start a well functioning enterprise, or even graduating from institutions. No matter what we do, the world only sees and cares about the end result, the outcome and not what it takes to get there.
There is so much below the tip of the iceberg. The disappointments, the persistence, the hard work the risks, the quiet discipline, the courage, the failures, the doubts the criticism, the tears, the fears, the rejections, the sacrifices.
The 3am awakening to get ready to train. The saying “ no “ to parties because it was time to go for yet another run. The dismissal of yummy junk foods in order to keep healthy to maintain performance. The early night to get to bed to wake up again. The balancing of. Job, family and trainings.
There is no crowd watching when you lace up the shoes on the sore legs. There is no one to give you the encouragement to keep going when all you have in your head are excuses, and somehow open the front door and go for that long run. No one but you feels the aches of the burden of the journey. No one hears the cries of the push beyond doubts to get through the next mile. Why do I do marathons and now ultras? It is a public test of private will power.
While I run in a race I am reminded that each prior run during training mattered. I showed up and kept going. Each run taught me something about my mind, body and heart that I could use for future adaptation and growth.
It is about becoming present with the version of yourself that will change and creating the stronger version of yourself that refused to quit. It is through the vulnerability that one evolves into invulnerability.
Regroup, return back with new momentum and re-MOVE doubt. Each day is a new opportunity to heal, and do what we can to build that new future. It is only through failure that we learn what success means, only to fail again so we can grow into the version of ourselves that we can love, always a butterfly in the making.
…………..
I love you
