21km under my belt. Or shoes because I wasn’t wearing a belt. Here’s what I learned after doing the long-distance run unplanned, for fun, in the rain, confined to a small soccer field.
Naysayers.
Everyone is going to say you can’t do something. Use that feedback from the naysayers as motivation to continue. I get it everyday from those who have decided to spectate, judge, bully and laugh at us. It bothers me that people do those things, but I understand their misery.
Start today.
You are more capable of achieving your goals today rather than tomorrow. We spend our entire lives thinking about the journey without doing it. Start it today and don’t stop until you’re done.
Death.
I had a rope around my neck, standing on the top of a ladder in my parent’s basement 8 years ago. No one knows this until this very post. My depression and thoughts consume me daily, hampering my ability to function with the outside world. Once you are on the verge of facing death, a breaking point, or tragedy, the rest of your life will be a breeze. Learn to battle back from hell – never, ever stay down there.
Limitations.
The doctors say I have weak joints, bad ankles (suffered a few fractures, agreed), and limited vision after losing my left eye from a detached retina at the age of 6. Without my eyeglasses I am legally blind. Despite your limitations, you are reading this, you must have a brain, which means you must be capable of telling your doctors to f&$k off and say I am limitless.
Limitlessness (is that really a word?).
I am not perfect. You are not perfect. Now let’s move on and accomplish what we want to. There are no excuses.
When you think about all of the problems you have, none of them compare to someone else in the world. All of the minutiae you are dealing with right now is trivial compared to the bigger picture.
Independence.
No one is going to support you as much as you. The finish line can be full of supporters, or it can be full of air. The motivation to do something is not based on others. The motivation is based on you, your desire, your passion to be great. Become independent of others today. Start controlling your life like a freak. No one else will.
Celebrations.
A half-marathon is incredible sh!t. 10km is incredible. 1km is incredible. The accomplishment of a goal is deserving of a celebration regardless. Go out and celebrate. Then come back and push higher.
I like goal execution and hate goal setting.
You have a bunch of ideas you will never accomplish because you decided to focus on all 100 bucket list items at the same time. Execute on a small chunk of goals and get focused on only those.
You will be in pain. Shut up and enjoy it.
15km into my run I felt some pulling on my achilles. No one was around to cradle me or watch me cry so I kept going. If you are in pain, great, you’re working towards something special.
Furthermore, the pain, discomfort and emotions you’re feeling – those are the best feelings to have. If you are comfortable right now, you’re not working very hard.
Don’t be boring.
If you do nothing, you will have nothing to say. Start ticking off these cool experiences, your social skills will thank you.
Brag about your victory.
People will either love you or hate you. Your supporters will want to hear about your success. Don’t be shy, talk about it. They might even give you positive tips to help you and push you for more victories.
Be humble.
Most successful people I know are very humble. They come off humble because they are single-mindedly focused on their goal execution. They don’t need the ra ra and excitement to accomplish amazing feats. Learn to be humble with your accomplishments because you still have lots more to do.
This may be contrary to the last section, but that one was about communicating your story – nothing wrong with a little storytelling.