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Welcome to Lane 8

Welcome to Lane 8. Hope you had a GREAT experience at the 2009 Master’s World Championships, in Lahti Finland.

I believe, “If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough”.

My name is jeff noel, I’m an American from Orlando, Florida.  My wife and I have been married for 26 years and we have a nine-year old son.

Our son has three teddy bears (exactly the same).  He told me I had permission to bring the one with the torn ear.

My impossible goal is to make it to Lane 8.  You know, the worst lane and the one the slowest runner gets.

My son asked me, “Dad, you want the worst lane, and you would even feel great about finishing last”?

“That’s right, son, even if I’m last, I would feel great”!, I respond back, smiling.

After a short pause, I add, “Lane 8 in the finals, at the World Championships.  Although you are last, you’d still be in the top eight in the entire world”.

That would be impossible for an ordinary person like me.

Understand?  Good.  Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Read Lane 8 Like A Book

Lane 8 is a fun story to write.  Fun because it’s for our son.  He’ll be nine in a few days. There are only a few who actually know this. Now more will.

If you were to spend an hour reading back through this blog, you’d start to see how impossible it was for me to be here in Finland.

The temptation to postpone, rationalize, or even to quit, is beyond my normal threshold for these types of life’s challenges.

Yet, I write this from Lahti, Finland – home to the 2009 Master’s Track & Field World Championships.

Reading back through the posts, and looking at where I was ten years ago, I hope our son will realize a few things about life:

  1. This is not a story about athletic achievement, it’s about setting “life’s bar” high
  2. This is not my story, it’s our story
  3. Nothing is impossible
  4. There are no short cuts in life
  5. Life is painfully hard
  6. Life is gloriously wonderful
  7. Live your life with purpose, and on purpose
  8. Do not worry what others think
  9. Have fun along the way
  10. Love others and be loved by others

Thanks for following Lane 8.  I totally understand virtually all of you will never have time to read from here to the beginning, or from the beginning to here.

But if you ever want to read a “book” to be inspired, this may be a diamond in the rough.

Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Gold Medal?

Yes. Gold medal effort.  That’s all I can ask of myself, “Did I do my best”?

Yes, I did.

“Will you do your very best”?

These two crazy dreamers (below) claim, “If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough”.

These two are crazy dreamers
These two are crazy dreamers
Lane 8 & Jack
Lane 8 & Jack
Runners, to your mark
Runners, to your mark

Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Always Do Your Best

Do your best.  How can anyone complain if they’ve done their best?

While it is quite tempting to want to be the best, for many, simply doing your best is gold-medal worthy.

What could be a sad thing for many dreams, is that people sell themselves short because they think winning a medal is the only measure of greatness.

Twice yesterday, I witnessed two athletes finish dreadfully last in their preliminary heats.  They received more applause than the winners.

Why?

You tell me.

Perhaps, because deep down inside of each of us, is a desire to try as hard as that person, but we don’t have the courage to risk that kind of “embarrassment”.

When people aren’t concerned about what others think, they can do extraordinary things.

For an adult who’s never been able to read, and they work desperately hard to try to – then one day they are able to read a kindergarten book.

Gold medal.

Ya with me?  Please don’t sell yourself short.  Do your best, no matter what others think.  This is what I tell myself everyday.

Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂