Monday, November 17, 2014

The Return to 26.2

Over the weekend I watched a documentary titled My Run. It's the story of Terry Hitchcock, a man who decided to run from Minnesota to Georgia to create awareness for single parents. He came up with this idea after his wife died from breast cancer. At 56 years old, he wasn't exactly in shape to run let alone run the equivalent of a marathon a day (26.2 miles) for 75 days. Undeterred, he began training. Shortly into his training, he suffered a heart attack. The doctors urged him to abandon his quest and insisted continuation could result in a more severe heart attack and possibly death. He remained undaunted and continued to train. When the morning finally arrived for him to begin his incredible journey, he started out like most runners do - one step at a time. Well, 75 days later he arrived in Georgia on the day prior to the start of the 1996 Olympics.

Ten years ago, I ran my first marathon, the Shamrock. I always enjoyed running, but I was sidelined a number of years ago due to plantar fasciitis and later by herniated discs in my lower back. I've gradually been working my way back. Just this past weekend my daughter, Brooke, and I completed a local 5K. At seven years old, she out-paced me. Nevertheless we both had fun and shared a memory that we will both carry with us for the rest of our lives. Prior to this event, I had started running again in order to train and prepare for it. Now that I had finished my doctoral program, I had time to run and wasn't confined to using the Versa Climber in the garage (although I still use it as a means of cross training). With the goal of obtaining a doctorate behind me, it was time to focus on a new challenge. So I decided to embrace running and set my sights on the March 2015 Shamrock Marathon. I knew what was required to train and prepare, and I knew the mistakes I had made previously.

As I thought about the goal I set for myself and committed to doing (I already registered so there was no turning back), I realized the importance goals have in regard to leadership. Leaders set the example for others to follow; they motivate, inspire, and dare others to overcome challenge and adversity against seemingly insurmountable odds. They are not special, nor are they extraordinary. Rather, they view adversity as a challenge, a throw-down. To them, it's not a dare to attempt; it's a dare to finish. And they embrace the challenge and face it head-on. Many will say, "It can't be done." But that's only because no one has ever tried. A leader must challenge him or herself and face adversity if he or she is going to challenge others and  help them achieve success. Success usually involves a story filled with adversity - adversity that in the end was overcome by will and sheer determination. The starting line is filled with followers, but the finish line is where the leaders gather to celebrate victory!

No comments:

Post a Comment