"Fellow Endurance Sports Junkies"
I know we are all planning and plotting what events we will be doing in 2011. But as we do, I want to offer up a friendly reminder.
First of all, don’t forget that you are an extremely fortunate person to even be in the position of choosing what event you will pay good money to compete in. There are many people out there struggling over which necessity to buy or trying to figure out how to put food on the table.
Signing up for a race is a true privilege.
There are also so many people who lack the health and well being to even be able to walk up a flight of stairs, let alone choose a triathlon.
Count your blessings.
And the really sad part about life and the economy is that you may be an elite athlete today, but find yourself in one of the positions that I just mentioned tomorrow.
Stay grounded and don’t lose your perspective.
So what can you do? You can race for reasons. You can choose events whose management recognizes the power of the multisport community and who use their events to help others. Or take it upon yourself and fundraise for the cause of your choice. If you open your eyes you would probably spot a dozen “reasons” the next time you go for a training run.
Don’t race selfishly. Don’t race for bragging rights, unless you want to brag about how many thousands of dollars you raised to help another individual or cause.
Make it count and make a difference.
Learn more about Steve (triathlete, coach, author, speaker, survivor) at his blog "RemissionMan"
“Steve Brown is committed to facilitating positive change in the world – one person at a time.”
- Pat Croce – Best-selling author, motivational speaker, successful entrepreneur, and life coach.
I couldn't have said it better myself. What Steve says is so very true. I particularly like the part about racing for reasons - reasons other than yourself. If you haven't yet done a charity ride (i.e. MS150, Livestrong...) or raced for some other great cause, you need to try it. I guarantee you'll never regret it. I'll never forget each and every one I have done. To sum it all up in one word, it's Gratifying. To see those afflicted out there supporting your effort, or even participating alongside you, you'll always cherish those moments, and never regret "racing for others"! Thanks Steve, that was a great reminder and "re-grounder" for us all.
ReplyDeleteCoach Todd Parker