Thoughts on the Run

Everyone deals with pressure and change differently. There are times when you know a challenging situation is approaching and have times to prepare for it. Other times, not so much. It’s like an earthquake out of nowhere and all you have to rely on are your instincts.

The reaction you have is based on:

• How you were raised
• Experiences from similar situations
• People that surround you

Stress is sate of mind. It is a mindset on how view a situation and the process that you internalize what it means. For those that get stressed easily and feel out of control, there is a way to make it less painful.

However, you have to actually want to make the change. Too often people feel they can’t bring themselves back from the world spinning out of control place to improve. Or they don’t see it is possible. Or it is too hard to change.

When I was pursuing my first degree in college, design and video production, we had a guest speaker come in. He worked in video production and editing, so was in a field that I was very interested in landing a job in. To this day I remember that class he came to speak in because this is how part of that conversation went:

Speaker: I go into work everyday and work hard with the fear of being fired.
Me: That’s one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.
Speaker: It’s true. I have the mindset that if I don’t work my hardest then I will be fired and you should think that way too.
Me: If I don’t enjoy what I do, then I should quit first.
Speaker: Then what will you do for a job smart guy?
Me: I don’t want a job. I want to do something I enjoy that pays the bills.

12 years later I still feel that way. Going into a job everyday with fear as your driving force is not a sustainable way of living. I tried this approach early on and it impaired my success. For some, maybe it works. I just choose to not be in one of those fields or in that group.

Yes I understand that there are certain industries in specific parts of the country that are struggling. The world has changed and there are some that didn’t see it coming. Now some don’t have the skills to find new work. For me, I am always looking ahead and see what’s next. That is required for what I do for a living though. It is a skill I have taught myself. I don’t rely on anyone else to hold my hand and tell me what to do to be successful. Maybe we need to go back to thinking like our grandparents did.

I can’t imagine going into a race driven by fear. There are always some kind of nerves, but not fear. Once I let fear take over me, I have already lost. Fear will suck the energy out of you and cause you to react at times you shouldn’t. Everyone is different, so focus on what you need to do for success. Others will see it and either start to do the same or become the pessimists. You will run into those pessimists and here’s my advice:

Walk around them and continue to move forward.

When it comes to running, just listening works the best. Listen to your body, to the wind blowing along the grass, or a trickling creek you have never noticed before. I have experienced all of these. This process brings me back to a new place that I haven’t known since I was a child. That place where you feel part of the world and not fighting it. When I am out running the trails, I have no responsibility except to get back safely. That changes perspective.

Plenty of people have told me to not run so far. I have heard it all:

• It’s not right
• You will hurt yourself
• What’s the point?

There are times when I question myself, but right on que, someone tells me they completed their first half marathon because of my stories. Another realized they can do more then expected by trying running. Then my kids tell me how they don’t want to eat at McDonald’s anymore because it is not healthy.

Of all reasons to run, I run for my family. My kids have a different view on food, exercise, and what they can do because I set an example for them. Training runs take place while my family sleeps with an occasional long mountain run on a Saturday. The kids know what I am and when I leave the house their question is: are you going to work or are you going for a run?

Too often people just want a reward without the work. That way of thinking must stop. Nobody runs a race without work. There is prep involved and having to make some sacrifices. From a 5k to 100 mile races, the runner needs to put in some work to achieve the reward.

For each of us the reward is different … a medal, a life change, proving to ones self that they are capable, and worthy, of doing more in this world.

What is your reward?