Recipe for Success We all know that our lives are one big, and hopefully long, journey. All the things that we devote our time and passion to, become vehicles through which we find ourselves along this journey. We try new things, we set new goals, we incorporate new techniques of doing things….we learn more about our strengths, our weaknesses, our likes, dislikes and, most importantly, what makes us tick. I have learned so much in my 36 years of life, and I must say that triathlon for me, was the vehicle through which I really came to know ME. Before I took on the seemingly impossible goals I had set for myself in the sport, I really had no idea about what I was capable of. My self esteem, though not painfully low, was more a wavering sense of promise. I felt deep down inside that great things lay ahead for me, but I knew that it would take an incredible amount of hard work and courage to arrive at that place. I was ready for it though, and ready to go beyond my fears, risk everything, and go for the gusto. What I learned is that it is ONLY when we are willing to risk, and willing to stare fear in the face, that great things will happen. Exceptional things, things that you only dream of, things that you want desperately but really don’t think are attainable. “only those who risk going too far, can possibly know how far one can go”. This quote by T.S Eliot rings so true for me. For example, when I was racing, the most simple, but useful thing I learned is that if you do the work, if you work harder than everyone else out there and you leave no stone unturned, success is inevitable. Success is inevitable, but greatness, that is another story. Greatness comes from risking, from laying it all on the line. I learned, that in a race, as long as I had done all the work and had prepared myself to be the best that I could be, I would only have to put in a great effort and I would have a good race. But, I wanted great things to happen and therefore, I had to go beyond that. I had to risk it all, and by risking it all, I mean that I would not be afraid to hammer out the 40k on the bike, no matter whether there were 10 girls, great runners all of them, sitting on my wheel, no matter if I were all alone, and the rest of the field was working together. I knew that racing great meant giving 110% every step of the way, it meant risking blowing myself to bits, in hopes of not blowing up, and going faster than I ever had. So, I lay it all out there. I started every 10k as if I were running a 400m sprint, counting on the fact that this would lead me to an overall faster 10k time. In risking, in daring to lose, I won. It is so empowering to take risks such as these and to see that those GREAT things only come from daring to go beyond what you are comfortable with. This lesson has brought so much insight into my life, in general. For instance... love at first sight. You see the man/woman of your dreams and something about them gets to the very core of you. It feels like love at first sight. But, you don’t know them, you have never seen them before, so you walk away. Well, what I have learned is this... for a feeling that powerful to come your way, This has to be happening for a reason. This person is meant to be entering into your existence at that moment. They strike a passionate chord within you. I take that as a sign from above saying, you have to embrace this, find out what it’s all about and do something about it. Do not let it slip away. Feelings like that don’t come around too often, so explore it, find out just what that spark was. If that means going up to them and introducing yourself, sending a smile their way, whatever... I imagine that what you will find is that things just happen, and things just fall into place and who knows you may suddenly be dating this stranger who you had never seen before, falling in love and beginning a future together. Whereas, if you just walked away, with no faith in the signs that our inner passions speak... you will have missed out. Even if nothing comes of it, at least you feel empowered by having gone about finding out what it was all about. At least then, you are not stuck in the horrible land of the “not knowing”. Never knowing what that was all about. So, go for it. Go for it in life. Life is too short. My dear friends that I lost way too early on in life, inspire me to live mine to the fullest. To not let anything that passionately inspires me, go, without a fight. If you dream something, go after it. It will take hard work, it will take an enormous commitment and it will take making it through many failures and disappointments along the way. Embrace those disappointments as those are the times where we learn the most about ourselves and we learn the most about what we need to be doing to get closer to our goals. Persistence, passion and hard work and belief in yourself and your dreams, will be rewarded. Sometimes not in exactly the way you hoped for, but in a wonderful way that will truly change your life. Keep life simple really. Listen to your gut, as it will always be true to you. Be honest with yourself and your passions and most importantly, believe. Believe in the fact that you have what it takes to achieve anything if you want it badly enough. I also find that when you feel good about yourself, you feel like you deserve the great things in life, you believe more, because you feel worthy. Feeling good about yourself, does not mean having to achieve something great, not at all. It means living your life in a way that you know you are a good person, an honest person, and a person who appreciates the simple things in life: health, friendship, love and laughs. Without those things, all the concrete goals we set for ourselves would mean nothing. When I look at my two dogs each morning, I am reminded of how easy it should be to feel content and joyful each day. They anticipate each new day with such excitement. The utter joy they get when I kiss them good morning and stroke their heads and ears. The way they jump out onto my bedroom deck, so excited to look out and see what’s new today, what is out there waiting for them to explore. Then, the jumping up and down when they see me preparing their breakfasts. Same thing every morning, but my gosh, they are so excited for the deliciousness of their alpo with the fresh chicken sprinkled on top. Then walk time, forget it, it’s as if they were just given the greatest gift on earth….I have never seen such pure joy! It makes me think differently as I look out my window just as I awake, eager to see what kind of a day I can create. Breakfast becomes a total joy, even if it is just the same old English muffin with jam on it, and when it’s time to run, well, I am excited! How lucky am I that I can run, that I have two legs and the strength and health to allow me to do so. Most importantly, when I interact with my dogs, my family, my friends, my athletes, I appreciate each interaction. I feel happy that these people inspire me, they love me, they make me laugh, we share eachothers lives. That feels good. When you appreciate these things, the simple things, but the most important things, no problem is too big to be solved, no goal too lofty to achieve, no moment should pass by that you don’t embrace. The meaning of this story, who knows, I guess it’s just stuff that I learned along the way that has really enriched my life. The funny thing is, that as my life gets less complicated, I achieve more, I live more, and I feel more. So, the goal I guess, for me now, despite the millions of things I take on in my daily life, is to keep it simple, live with passion and inspire others to do the same. Back to Articles Page

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