Whether in your own life or that of one of your wellness coaching clients, a wake-up call can be tough – yet so valuable. When was the last time you received a clear wake-up call in some aspect of life? I got one yesterday. Fortunately, while important to me personally, it’s obviously minor in light of the bigger picture. However, the message is applicable to almost any area of life (wellness or otherwise)…
Sunday was my first half marathon in awhile and it wasn’t pretty. No – nothing dramatic like a crawl across the finish line or being taken out on a stretcher. I just didn’t have “it.” Final time was 1:22:08 and I finished 14th overall. I know – you’re curious if I’d like some cheese with my wine (whine), right? The reason for the wake-up? I was expecting to run sub-1:18 and finish in the top 3. The “problem” was that everything went perfectly leading up to the event (no injuries, good rest, nutrition, felt good on race morning, etc) but when we hit the middle miles, I simply couldn’t respond to the competition. Why was that absence of issues a problem? Because there weren’t ANY notable excuses to lean on – I just wasn’t fit enough to compete. I couldn’t blame a nagging injury, a hilly course, a stomach issue or anything else. It was all on me. I…wasn’t…prepared (ouch).
Have you been there? Have you put yourself in the position to pursue something you view as important. You then get the opportunity – only to fall flat? Later, as you ponder the reason for the shortcoming, it’s clear it’s all on one person… and that person is looking back at you in the mirror?
It’s so much easier when there’s a viable excuse readily available, isn’t it? We see this all the time in the wellness industry. If you’ve been through your wellness coach certification, you already get this component. We “say” we’d like to make positive life changes but we can’t because of ____________ ( my boss, the economy, not enough time, pressures at work, kids schedules, influence of spouse, parents, genetics, money, etc, etc, etc). It is SO much easier to blame someone or something else than to look in the mirror and say “this one is on me.”
Well – this one IS on me. In my post-race pondering it was clear that I’ve been going through the motions with my training. I was doing all the “other” things right (fueling, preparation, recovery, etc) but neglecting proper focus on the CORE thing – the run training itself! Fortunately in areas like this, there’s a clear measuring stick (ie, another half marathon is on the books in early May). Life isn’t always so kind. There are often far more variables involved.
However, there’s one variable that never changes – the opportunity we have to push aside the excuses and dial in the actions necessary on MY part to make a dent in the things we control. Is it time to admit “this one’s on me” and take the steps necessary to change the outcome?
I’m in – how about you?
