Living Life by Design

90% of the game is half mental – Yogi Berra

At what mile do most people quit a marathon? If you’re like me you would probably say the 26th mile. After all, that’s when runners should be the most physically drained and exhausted. But like most things in life, there’s more to the story. Besides the first mile, the 26th is when the least amount of people quit. While there could be a hundred explanations as to why this is, I believe one reason stands in front of all the others. This reason is VISION! Most runners don’t quit during the 26th mile because they have a vision of where they are going. They see the end in sight so they keep striving for it. Sure, they are physically exhausted, but their vision fuels them and tells them to keep going to reach their destination.

Most runners quit a marathon at the 20th mile because this is when they lose sight of their vision. This is when they are both physically exhausted and mentally drained. This is when runners feel they have come so far and yet still have far to go. This is when their goal fades away and their mental power dissipates. “Where there is no vision the people parish.”

This underscores an important principle that is key to being your best. You must have a vision for the roan ahead. You must decide what you truly want. The vision is fuel for your journey through the valley of struggle and hardship. You will have weeks or even months when you feel like you are hitting the 20th mile. How will you keep running? The answer is to maintain your vision and focus on what you truly want. If you don’t know what you want then you won’t keep working towards it. But, if you know what you want and keep your vision alive, it will keep you alive. You will be willing to pay the price to make it happen and keep striving towards the vision planted in your mind and heart.

Game Plan:

1. Give yourself a time and place to be away and think.
2. Decide what you truly want. Write it down. Memorize it. Keep it with you

Excerpt from “Training Camp” by Jon Gordon