When I was in high school, I ran cross country. Throughout each week during the season, we would practice in preparation for races each Saturday. Race day was always the most exciting and most nerve-wracking day of the week for me. I was excited at the opportunity to compete against other runners, but I was nervous about how I would perform.
One week, my dad gave me a short poem to read in order to help me with my struggle. The poem was entitled “The Guy In The Glass” by Dale Wimbrow:
The Guy in the Glass
by Dale Wimbrow, (c) 1934
When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.
For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.
He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.
You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.
We often forget that the most important critic of your actions is yourself! Unlike other people who only spend part of their day with you and then walk away, you cannot run from yourself. You have to be able to live with your actions.
Going back to my cross country story, while I was concerned about what place I finished in comparison to my competitors for the sake of my team’s score, what ultimately drove my motivation to perform well was how I finished relative to my full potential. It was the best feeling in the world to have known I gave my best effort, and conversely, it was miserable to have to go through a week of practice knowing that last week I could have done better.
Success is measured differently by different people. What spectators see of you may be pleasing, but only YOU know if your efforts are satisfactory relative to your potential. Only YOU can see the guy in the glass. When the guy in the glass is your friend, what more can you ask of yourself?
TODAY’S WORKOUT:
Warm-up 1 mile
Run 3 miles
Cool down ½ mile
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