Last weekend I ran my first half marathon and it was such a euphoric experience.
I killed it and I loved every part of it!
I didn’t just want to show up and finish the race but I wanted to do my best and run my perfect race!
Every part of the race was amazing…
The adrenaline rush lining up 20 minutes before the race.
The thrill running with 9000 other runners in silence… only hearing the beat of their shoes hitting the pavement.
The chills that ran through my body (which happened twice)… which made me feel alive and connected.
Running to the finish line and having a massive crowd cheering for you!
Crushing my beliefs on what I though I was capable of and what other thought I was capable of.
The pain cycle your body goes through when running 13 miles and really pushing yourself.
It’s truly amazing how when you feel pain in your body and your mind unconsciously focus’ on it, the pains’ intensity sky rockets and persists, and then your mind goes into a negative cycle, feeding the pain, which feeds the negative thoughts, which feeds the pain! Creating crippling doubting thoughts like will I make it? I can’t do this, etc.
So, my strategy was to instead of focusing on what was hurting or the origin of pain I would focus on what was feeling good at the moment and what was working well.
And WOW before I knew it the feeling of pain would completely dissipate.
So it got me thinking…
What if…
When you look at yourself and do a self assessment and judge yourself, instead of focusing on what you are not, what you don’t do right, focus on all the right things you do, the great things you represent, and all the good things you are capable of.
Who would you become? What would you be capable of?
What if…
When you engage someone, a stranger, a friend, a family member, a colleague… you focus on all the great things they represent and accept them for who they are. Everybody has great attributes, sometimes with some people you just have to look a little bit harder. Who would that person become? What would they be capable of?
What if…
When people looked at you (me), they weren’t so judgmental, were more accepting, and decided to focus on all your positive attributes. Who would we become? What would we be capable of?
Clearly, what we think about and focus on has an enormous impact!
I wonder what impact focusing on the positive and good things would have on our lives and the world?
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