REFLECTIONS
It's been so good to have some time off to recover and reflect on last weekend, and in fact the last 12 months.
I've been absolutely blown away by the support and comments from everyone. I'm still trying to process it all but there's been one question I've been asked a lot so I thought I would write down a few thoughts on it.
"How DID YOU KEEP GOING?"
Let's start at the beginning. I was obsessed by this challenge. I thought about it every day for months before I'd even spoken to Vicki about it, so I knew it was something I really wanted. But despite really wanting it, I spent a lot of time trying to unpack WHY I wanted it and what I wanted to get out of it before I committed to it.
By doing this I was then really clear on the MEANING of my goal. Or simply put, I was creating a STORY in my head about what this goal meant to me.
So my original post about the challenge, why I was doing it, and the objectives - whilst important to let people know - was also for me. I was making sure I was clear and setting myself up for success. I would go back to this story all the time throughout my training, when I needed to make a decision, and when I had any doubt and fear. I would also make small tweaks to this story along the way as required, as it was definitely work in progress right until the end.
I had 3 objectives for this challenge that were tied to the Outrun Cancer motto #runpreventinspire.
Now I tied my objectives to this hashtag not to look cute on social media, but because of this STORY I'd created behind it. It was also a constant reminder every time I used the hashtag of this story and how it made me feel .
So if we go back to my 3 objectives...
1. RUN - Run 265km in 24 hours to break the Guinness world record
2. PREVENT - Raise $25k for the cancer prevention healthy lunchbox project
3. INSPIRE - Inspire people to commit to healthy lifestyle changes like walking, running or eating healthy
If this challenge had just been about me getting a world record I would have given up half way through when I admitted to myself I couldn't get it. There's no doubt in my mind that there wouldn't have been enough MEANING to keep going. There wouldn't have been enough MEANING to continue through the pain. There wouldn't have been enough MEANING to finish.
To make sure the world record attempt didn't sidetrack the other objectives of this challenge, as part of this story I'd also made a deal with myself that even if I couldn't get the record that I would finish the 24 hours. Even if I had to walk the whole thing. I made sure that Vicki and Luca were across this. There were therefore no serious questions about quitting (although there were definitely some thoughts at times!) I think this is also the reason why I've been so at peace this week with not getting the record. It was only a small part of this whole challenge.
Now I know I've been going on about MEANING a lot and some people are probably thinking "ok what about the training?". I'm not saying the training, etc isn't important because it absolutely is. But the single biggest thing that's changed for me and has given me the confidence to even attempt running from Brisbane to Sydney or attempting a World Record is the creation of MEANING in my life.
I've been a bit nervous about sharing this because...well, I'm a bit of a p*ss taker!! But I feel as if I didn't share this I would be missing out a big part. This is something I repeated to myself over and over throughout the whole 24 hours......
"MY PURPOSE IS TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO CHASE THEIR DREAMS AND CREATE MEANING IN THEIR LIVES."
Our WHY, our PURPOSE, the MEANING we give to our lives and the world - these are are all STORIES we tell ourselves. Our stories can either imprison us (and protect us) or empower us. Being really clear on who I am and the stories I tell myself has allowed me to OWN MY STORY as Ben Crowe of Mojo Crowe would put it (who is Ash Bartys mindset coach).
I was inspired by Luca after watching the documentary of his world record back in 2017. He inspired me to dream big and create an EMPOWERING STORY that would get me through this challenge. This is my small contribution back to the community that supports me so much.
Big Love,
Mark