Overcoming Limits

12-30-17

#myDecemberGoal

Overcoming Limits

Today I was inspired by E:60. It’s a show on ESPN where journalists interview people about their life stories and how it relates to sports. They were airing a special this evening to reminisce about their past 10 years of creating the show. While watching all the footage and hearing some interviews, it was incredible to see what some people accomplished while having some sort of setback.

One girl they covered was a star track athlete even though she had multiple sclerosis. She couldn’t feel her legs whenever she raced and had to fall into her coach’s arms every time she crossed the finish line in order to stop her momentum. She then had to be immediately carried to a bench to be cooled down by ice bags and water because her body would be producing so much heat. This happened every race and it’s not like she came in last. She won many of her races.

Stories like these inspire me because they make me realize that we as humans can persevere through the limits that Mother Nature puts on us. And when we do, we can accomplish great feats. I’ve found that this is easier when someone is along side of us, constantly pushing us to be better and encouraging us along the way, like that girl’s coach. While there is a breaking point and such thing as too much pushing, I usually find that I have a lot more effort to give whenever the thought of quitting or not even trying pops into my head.

I believe the military has a 40% rule that says when you first think you want to quit, you really have only given 40% of your available energy. Thus, you still have 60% to give. I remember when this saying affected my workout a couple months ago. I first only wanted to run 10 laps on the track but I decided at about lap 7 to add 60% more laps to my goal. I ended up running 25 laps (60% more) and was amazed that I actually did it.
           Mindsets like this and stories such as what the journalists of E:60 share have led me to make one of my New Year’s resolutions be not to underestimate myself. If I don’t underestimate myself, who knows what feats I can accomplish.

-Brody