Lane 8 Motivational Flashback

Last weekend, I met with a great friend I’ve known for over a decade. He’s really smart and asks the best questions. Plus, he’s a great listener.

Long story short:  While I was sharing the story on my 1982 cross-country bicycle trip, he came to a realization, and so did I.

When I said cross-country, the original intent was from one coast to the other. But for a variety of good reasons, it didn’t happen the way it was envisioned.

And for a moment, it started to feel like maybe I was misrepresenting the truth, and I questioned myself.

In summary, Derrick Redmond, an Olympic 400 meter runner, may tell people he ran in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, but that may not be the “truth”.  You owe it to yourself to watch this, and then ask and answer the question that follows:

So, did Derrick Redmond run in the Olympics?

Parents Teachers Students

As adults, we are all of these – parents (most of us anyway), teachers, students.

Adults, due to societal norms and conditioning, often have us unconsciously – especially through media – teaching children “rights” versus teaching children “responsibilities”.

America was founded on, and defended for, the right that all (wo)men are created equal.  Innocent until proven guilty. The right to vote. And to pursue happiness, etc.

But where and when do we teach children about responsibilities? Exercise your body.  Enrich your mind through books. Pray and give thanks for your many blessings.  Get an education and a good job.

You may not realize this.  I never did, until one day, it hit me. Children look to adults for role models. If you don’t take care of your health, why should they?

Lane 8 is devoted to our gift of physical health.  Not perfect health, but certainly an earnest striving for optimal health. I really don’t want younger generations feeling like I’ve let them down.  Do you?

3 Simple Exercise Tips

Three simple exercise tips we can all do to make exercise a more important part of our lives:

  1. Commit to it for a lifetime
  2. Do it for someone else
  3. Try to have fun on your journey

Simple.  But simple doesn’t mean easy.  Most likely, whatever you want to accomplish with your health and exercise goals, is well, impossible. Which is perfect.  Carpe diem.

Dream Big

The original tag line for Lane 8 was:

Dream Big.  Get There.  Stay There.

Take your time but hurry up.  The clock is ticking.

And remember to go a little easy on yourself.  But not for long though. Coaches push others to their limits. We must learn to do this with ourselves.  What do you think?

If you don’t, who will?  If not today, or this week, when?

We will fail.  It’s inevitable.  However, I believe failure is simply a test to see if we were serious or not.

Are you?

Hurts Like Hell

Blah, blah, blah….hurts like hell. Still.  My foot hurts.  A lot.

If you’re new to Lane 8, welcome.  Earlier this year, there were quite a few Lane 8 blog posts discussing my foot pain and whether or not I could travel to Finland for the Master’s Track & Field World Championships.

And yesterday, after writing the post, “43rd”, it caused me to do several things:

  • Be amazingly thankful
  • Become more confident
  • To feel like a victor, rather than a victim
  • Pray for others to overcome their own struggles

The last one in particular is the one that seems most important.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Fall down seven times, get up eight.

If you’re goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough.

Carpe diem.  It’s completely up to you. You are the CEO of YOU, Inc.

Yep, it’s gonna hurt like hell to reach your big dreams.  Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Once you realize that hard work is the way, the way gets easier.  It doesn’t become easy, simply easier.