That Finish Line Feeling
Aug 27, 2022Dissatisfaction and Disappointment
What happens when you cross the finish line?
Have you ever crossed a finish line and felt immediate disappointment? Maybe the number on the clock was not what you had hoped for. Maybe you felt awful crossing the line because your body just didn't cooperate with you that day.
On the other hand, have you crossed a finish line and felt immediate joy and satisfaction?
What’s the difference between these two experiences?
One might argue that it’s the number on the clock. If you achieve your goal, you feel satisfaction and joy, and if you don’t, you feel disappointment or sadness.
But it’s actually not that simple.
We often think the number on the clock is what makes us happy or sad, when in reality, it’s our THOUGHTS about that number that change the way we feel.
Case in point: Your goal is to run a sub-2 hour half marathon. You cross the line in 1:58:59. Your thoughts are, “Heck yeah! I did it!”, which makes you feel excited, proud, and satisfied.
Scenario 2: You cross the line in 1:58:59, but your goal was to run a 1:55. The number on the clock didn’t change. Your thoughts about that number did. If your goal is 1:55, your thoughts might be, “Dang, I didn’t achieve my goal”, or “I missed it”. This can lead to feelings of frustration and disappointment.
Notice the number didn’t change. Our thoughts about that number did. The meaning that we attached to that number changed.
Instead of, “I didn’t achieve my goal”, what if the thought was, “I gave it my best today”? Would that change the feeling at the finish line?
Our thoughts determine how we feel, our feelings drive our actions, and our actions give us the results that we have in our lives.
This is why managing our thoughts is the key to increasing our satisfaction and joy with our running, and that’s why managing your mind is phase 1 of the Real Life Runners Method. If you want some help learning how to manage your mind, be sure to get on the waitlist for the next time we open the Training Academy!
Now get out there and run your life.
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