Happy Sunday Everyone:
I’ve been doing these for 5 years, which means I’ve cranked out approximately 250 “Sunday Thoughts”. Sometimes, like today, I ask myself “what the hell am I going to write about?”, as though I need some original thought every week. I’m realizing all I have are experiences, which creates the thought, but the themes are always going to be similar. Those themes are typically around acknowledgement of positive/negative events that have transpired and anything I’ve taken away from them, and hopefully having it stick for later use, so not to reinvent the wheel every time.
I was running on Wednesday Morning, I had set out for 5 miles. 3 miles into it I felt like crap, I didn’t feel like running, and was about to start walking. A friend, Kevin P, popped into my head, and a conversation he and I had last year regarding a book called GRIT. His favorite part of the book was regarding a message around the pain of completing something vs. the pain of regret for having quit. In my case, what was going to hurt worse on Wednesday, the physical pain of completing my run, or the mental anguish for having quit (the way my head works, the latter is far worse). I thought about Kevin for 2 miles, I changed my mindset, I finished my run, and of course, felt great when it was over, proud of myself. I also called Kevin, someone I rarely get to speak with, and told him what happened and thanked him. I’m stumbling as I type trying to not make this sound cheesy…so here are my points:
1. Don’t let moments of thankfulness pass you by: Where I was struggling with my words above is I didn’t know Kevin was walking into a known bad day for him, for a variety of reasons. Me taking that moment to thank him, for something he certainly didn’t see coming, helped him, accordingly to him, a great deal. I talk to Kevin a few times a year, it would have been so easy to not make the call, and I almost didn’t. Paying it forward works. I have yet to find a time it didn’t, I only wonder how many times I’ve missed the opportunity.
2. Seek Good Counsel: Small moments like this create huge reminders for me of who I choose to surround myself with. I’ve done some really dumb things in my day but one thing I’ve always done really well is surround myself with amazing people. I heard this both in a speech this year, and in a book I’m reading now, have a personal board of directors. Who would be on yours? People don’t even need to know they’re on it. I seek counsel from a multitude of people based on a variety of subjects. I believe everyone should.
3. As it relates to the run, and everything else we do in our lives that we struggle to complete, the current pain to get through something is always going to be far better than the crushing soul burning exercise of quitting. Find your own way to embrace the pain, and work through it….for me, its virtual pep talks.
Heading out for a run now, slightly more motivated than I was before I typed this!! Chances of walking….zero!!.
Have a great week ahead.