Apparently not many of us are living up to the potential that lies within. Whether measuring mental acuity, physical strength or productivity most of us are showing up with less than we actually have to throw at any given situation.
I am always motived by Henry Ford’s famous quote: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you are right.”
In 2002 after losing my son Emanuel at birth I had a mental and emotional turmoil of grief, that only intense and regular exercise could impact. The more steps I ran past and away from April 6, 2002 the more I could try and process the devastation of my profound and debilitating loss.
I needed a goal, something to focus on, so I signed up to run the Army Ten Miler in WDC that October. I completed that race, which was an experience that is another chat altogether.
For now, I will say that I went on to run that race several times, and most memorably in 2005. Like every other run, I was moving along at a good pace, watching my Garmin GPS tracker to clock my mileage and after 8 or 9 miles was confident about finishing strong.
As I approached what I thought should be nearly the finish line, something began to feel awry. I was still running but no where near the “traditional” finish line.
Sure enough, my Garmin started tracking 10 miles, 10.5 miles, 11 miles…what was going on? I continued one step after the next along with the other runners, looking side to side to see if anyone else realized we’d run a full mile over the 10 mile course.
After running 1.5 miles beyond the 10 of the “Army 10 Miler” I came to the end. No balloons. No water. No fanfare. Just a massive military presence. One of the tall stoic soldiers looked down at me and said “keep moving.”
Ultimately, there had been a security breach at the traditional finish line. A threat was among us and as a result all runners were re-routed to a changed finish line which happened to be a mile and a half further than we’d planned to run.
I guess some of the runners were “upset” about the change. Not me. Not only was I grateful to be safe, but I’d just run 15% further than I thought I could!
After hydrating and enjoying a delicious brunch I rested well that Sunday afternoon. It only took me the remainder of the day to do the math: If I can run 11.5 miles, 12.3 (a half marathon) will be no problem.
I ran my first 1/2 marathon three months later in January and went on to complete three full marathons over the next couple of years.
I don’t have to take Henry Ford’s word for it. Whether I think I can, or I can’t, either way I am right.
Here’s to out performing ourselves and showing up with our full potential, in our families, in our workplaces, in our communities and the world. Let’s take the limits off of what we think is possible, and keep putting one foot in front of the other without focusing on the finish line.