First, I want to start off by saying Thank You to everyone for the support along the way with the blog and my Ironman Finish. The amount of appreciation and encouragement to continue this has been overwhelming. Thank you! Since my journey is over for the Ironman (until I decide which one I want to do next!), I thought I would share what the next journey is and how it will be accomplished. This next journey is not about me but someone else. It is about my 12 year old son, Cooper. He is an avid runner and soccer player. He dreams of being on the U.S. Soccer Team and running Cross Country in college! We have talked about his dreams, and about how to make them real. He knows he will not wake up tomorrow and be on the U.S. Soccer Team or on the College Cross Country Team. It is a process. It is accomplishing one goal at a time. He understands even more they may never come to fruition, but he also knows they never will if he does not work and try. No matter the outcome of the dream he realizes good things come if you work at it. His current journey is to qualify for the Junior Olympics on December 9th in Tallahassee, Florida. His goal is to get his 2 mile run, which is the distance for Middle School Cross Country, at or less than 12 minutes and 20 seconds (12:20).
This past Saturday he ran a 12:23. This set a new personal record for him. He was pumped. Later that day we talked about his run. Me: "Cooper, what do you think about when you run? What motivates you to keep going?" Cooper: "I said to myself, if my DAD can finish the Ironman at 144.6 miles, I can surely do 2 miles!" Me: A weird look on my face because I had no idea he thought that about me, “Thank you Cooper! I did not realize I motivated you that way. I am honored!" Sometimes, we take the things we do for granted and do not always realize how our journey, our actions, influence other people. Just because people are not telling you how you influence them does not mean we are not making an impact on their lives somehow. Back to the point! Cooper realized he needed to work harder and more consistently if he was going to reach his goal of 12:20. To this point he was lucky if he got 2 days a week of training in. I explained to him that it takes discipline and sacrifice and consistency. He has committed to training at least 4 days per week. Like my friend is always telling me, 'We have to learn to use our marbles.' What he was saying is there is always time, we just have to want to use it and make it happen. Cooper is a Middle School Cross Country runner (Go MBS Pelicans) and a Competitive Soccer Player. He is in the BETA club, Youth Legislature, and Student Council Treasurer. This kid is busy, but he finds time to use his marbles.
To remind him why he is doing this he put a sticky note on his mirror in the bathroom that reads his goal of 12:20 and the date he wants to accomplish it. This way every day he can look at it, and remember why he is training and know that when it gets tough this will be what makes it easier. He has a love and a passion for running and excellence. When he races, he does not use a watch to see his pace. He races with his heart. How can purpose, be any better than that? Sure, he gets disappointed if he does not accomplish his goal, but he knows he gave it his best effort that day. He ran with his heart! Knowing why you are doing something helps you get through it when it is tough because we all know by now that it will get tough. Goals will show you what you have actually accomplished when you start to look back and wonder what have I done. Goals, show you progress. Goals give you confidence. Goals give you motivation. Goals give you purpose. What’s Yours? So stay tuned to see the outcome of his journey! For more blogs and motivation follow me on Facebook (http://bit.ly/2fMrebB) and Instagram (@bankstonevolution).
#evolution #bevolution #noexcuses#goalsetting
