“Don’t be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It’s the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.”
-Andrew Carnegie
How do you stand out in a crowd? How do you differentiate yourself from everyone else?
Challenge the status quo!
That’s how you excel in anything that you do—you do more than you are asked. When you take the time to put forth effort above and beyond what is asked of you, people will notice. Sometimes, you may not think they notice, but they do. More important, though, is not how other people feel about your efforts, but how YOU feel about your efforts. Are you content with the amount of effort you invest in the activities you do? Or is there more that you can do?
How do you apply challenging the status quo to personal goals? What do you do when no one else is asking effort of you, but rather you are asking effort of yourself?
I find it difficult to challenge the status quo while training for my marathon because the only measuring stick I have in which to judge my progress are my performances in previous runs. In a sense, I have to race myself in order to challenge the status quo. When I mentally race myself, I do not have the luxury of physically observing another runner in front of me which would inspire me to catch up to him. I have to imagine a runner yards ahead of me in order to motivate myself to pick up my pace. This strategy requires practice and honesty, for it is easy to dismiss the thought of this imaginary runner. But I know that come race day, this imaginary runner will be very real, so I must take him seriously if I am going to be ready for the Chicago Marathon.
When I was ten years old, my little league baseball coach would always tell me and my teammates, “Give it the best you’ve got… and a little bit more!” I’ve tried to follow his advice ever since. When I’m running, and I feel that I’ve hit that mental wall, I tell myself to push just a little bit more. I know I’ve given it my all when I cross the finish line because if I have nothing left to give. This satisfaction of knowing you’ve given it your all is worth more than any prize you can win!
TODAY’S WORKOUT:
Warm-up 1 mile
Run 3 miles
Cool down ½ mile
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