If you have ever pursued a dream, goal, or passion, then you have certainly faced setbacks. There have been times where continuing seemed difficult or impossible. You may even have wanted to give up.
We’ve all been there! And it is those moments that separate people who live full lives doing what they love from those who settle for less. I was reminded of this lesson while suffering through three miles of heat, mud, and pain…
This past Sunday I participated in the “Merrell Down and Dirty Mud Run.” This was a 5K trail run (over real trails, up and down hills, etc.) that was also littered with a variety of obstacles (cargo net, walls, various mud pools/pits, etc.).
Why would I put myself through such a thing? For the same reason that man climbs a mountain: because his girlfriend asks him to…
Actually, my girlfriend did ask me to, but she ran it last year and after she told me about it I thought, “Hey, that sounds like fun!” (There’s a quick lesson right there – every person has their own, very personal definition of fun).
The only problem with preparing for this race was that I…um….sort of…HATE running. Once a year or so I’ll think, “Running is great exercise! I should start running again!” It takes me about two weeks to remember, “Oh yeah, I hate this!”
A 5K is a pretty short race, but it’s not insignificant. I planned on running a few times a week for the four weeks leading up to the run. At least, that’s what I planned…
What I actually did instead, was continue on with the P90X workouts I was already doing. These workouts were pretty tough, so I figured, “Hey, if I can do these workouts, a 5K should not be much of a problem!”
I know what you’re thinking: “That’s crazy! I’m sure you died on the run!”
Shockingly, my assessment was correct. The run went fine, and I felt pretty good doing it (as good as a rational human being can feel while running, I suppose. And no, if you love to run I don’t consider you a rational human being).
I completed the 5K without needing to walk, and, other then the obligatory chaffing that running around in mud filled shorts causes, I didn’t suffer all that much.
The one thing an event like this will do is make you think. As I reflected on the experience afterward, I came up with five important lessons that apply not only to runners, but also to anyone who ever faces a setback while pursuing a dream, goal, pr passion:
1) Don’t Burn Yourself Out
I was doing this race with my girlfriend, which was great. We ran at the same pace, kept each other motivated, and periodically distracted ourselves with some conversation. However, my girlfriend has a slower natural pace than me, so I had to run slower than I usually do.
This may sound annoying, but it worked out immensely in my favor. If I had run at my “natural” pace, I would have burned more energy and put more stress on my body. There was a much higher likelihood that I would have had to walk or even stop.
By slowing down, I was able to keep going and keep making progress.
In the same way, when you are tackling a big project or pursuing a dream, you might want to slow down and focus on slow and steady progress.
When you first start, you may ride a wave of motivation and work like crazy. While you may get a lot done at first, you’ll soon find your motivation returning to a normal level and your output tapering off.
There’s nothing wrong with starting strong, except when one of two things happen:
- You burn yourself out
- You feel guilty when your pace drops because you’re not doing as much as you were at first.
If you are prone to one (or both) of those things happening to you, I suggest you slow down your pace, even right out of the gate.
2) Keep Putting One Foot in Front of the Other
There was a stretch on the trail where we kept running farther and farther away from the start. As we ran, all I could think was, “Hmm, I thought we were beyond the halfway mark. And yet…we continue to run farther away from the finish line. Oh boy, this race is longer than I thought it would be!”
This was not a happy thought.
As those types of thoughts continued, my fatigue increased and my legs started to burn.
What got me through that stretch was to keep focusing on the next step. “Just take another step. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
That mentality got me to the next obstacle, and then to bend that started us back, and then eventually back to where the finish line was.
Whew! Crisis averted…
Life works the same way. Some paths are longer than others, and some plans fizzle, flop, and flounder. That’s when you get tired. That’s when things start burning. That’s when you get overwhelmed.
And that’s exactly the time where you need to put all your focus on just taking the next step.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually you’ll get around the bend and past the obstacles and reach the finish line.
3) Tap into Your Motivation
As I mentioned, I didn’t do a lot of training specifically for this run. I was working out, doing a lot of cardio type stuff anyway, but I hadn’t gone for a run in about three years (because I hate it, remember?).
However, I wasn’t too worried because I felt that since I was racing with a partner, and since there would be so many people around, that I would be motivated to keep running.
You know what? I was right (Again. Shocking.).
This got me thinking though: Why is it that, with no training at all, I could run 3+ miles, but when I try to run alone for exercise I feel out of breath, exhausted, and in pain after ¾ of a mile?
The answer is simple: because I suck.
Ok, that may be overstating it. I don’t suck. I just have a very strong externally driven motivational strategy. I do much better if other people are watching than if I am just doing something myself.
I’m not going to spend time now evaluating whether that’s a good thing. It is what it is.
But by knowing that, I can use it to my advantage. I was able to finish the run because the structure of the race tapped into my motivation. If I was smart (no comments please) I would set up more areas of my life to tap into this same external motivation.
How about you? What motivates you?
If you don’t know the answer, spend some time thinking about it (and check out my free e-book, Smart Ass Success!, which has a section on motivation).
If you do know what it is, then use it to your advantage! If you’re externally motivated, then make public commitments. Join groups. Get partners, or an accountability coach.
If you’re internally motivated, then visualize your goals. Use positive self talk. Set your projects up so they have the right level of challenge and autonomy.
The key is, figure out what works for you and then use it!
4) Move Beyond Motivation to Habit
Despite my previous point, I am not here to tell you that “you can do anything!” (You can, but now always without training and preparation).
No matter how motivated I was, at some point my body would have given out. The race had a 10K option, and I doubt I would have been able to run that whole thing with no training (although maybe that doubt is what would hold me back. Who knows, the mind weird…). Certainly by body would fall apart if I went out today and ran a marathon. Or how about an Ironman Triathlon?
Motivation is great, but if you rely solely on motivation, you’ll hit a ceiling at some point.
For the occasional one off event (like running one 5K a year), motivation is super. It can help you push past short term limits.
Where motivations really comes in handy though, is when you use it to help you train, improve, and develop habits that allow you to perform without requiring motivation.
If I wanted to become one of those weird, “regular race people,” I would need to use my motivation not to keep going during every race, but rather to keep myself training to so that by the time the race came around I wouldn’t need the motivation.
Your goal for ongoing activities is to increase your comfort zone so that what is currently hard for you and requires great discipline becomes automatic.
Put another way: Habits make motivation irrelevant.
5) When Given a Choice to Whine or Laugh, Go With Laugh
One thing I noticed on the run was the number of people who were vocally whining about how hard it was.
I get it – it’s hard. Running a 5K is hard enough even when you don’t have to crawl under ropes, climb over walls, and slop through mud.
However, you have choices. You didn’t have to participate in the first place. You could just walk. You could even stop and take a break.
I’m not discounting the fact that for some people the run was hard. And maybe even painful. But whether and how you express that difficulty and pain is entirely up to you.
Some people complain. Some whine. Some cry. Some give up.
Others smile, laugh, and keep going (“keep putting one foot in front of the other…”)
Not only will whining not help you finish your task, it will actually hurt you. Whining, complaining, and crying are work. They tire you out! And all the energy you put into whining is energy you can not put into the task at hand.
The same lesson applies to life. When Ding! Happens, you have a choice of how to respond. Whining, complaining, or crying may seem like a good idea at the time (and let’s face it, we all do this from time to time), however, if you really want to keep going when things get down and dirty, you’re best bet is to smile and laugh.
You don’t have to be a maniacal head-case, guffawing at every setback. Just remember whether you laugh or cry, you can’t change what happened. And if you want to keep moving forward, laughing will help you more than whining.
In Conclusion
Whether you are a crazy person who wants to do a “Down and Dirty Mud Run” or someone who wants to do a little more with your life, you can be sure that you will face times when things get hard and you just want to give up. When that happens, I hope you remember the 5 lessons from my muddy run and do whatever you need to pick it up and keep going!
P.S. Hey, if you like this post, why don’t you share the love and click the Facebook “Like” button at the top of this page…?
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