LEON...Life is a marathon, not a sprint
WEEK 7
I ran my second marathon last Sunday. It was 5 minutes better than my first attempt. I was totally exhausted, but the excitement and achievement of the race neutralised the ensuring aches, pains, sore muscles and joints. The were moments when a sense of self intelligence came to play earlier in the race. At the half way point I was on track for my goal (trying to be 26 minutes better) but this quickly turned custard when I ran towards Quay st and then Tamaki drive. The sun came out to play and it was just very hot for October. The head winds further slowed my momentum. Disappointment set in as the goal became increasingly less realistic. My old self would continue to be on the path of negative thoughts and beating myself up so to speak. However, the tools I’ve learnt from JOLT challenge so far proved useful.
I put a mental stop sign and noticed the emotions I’m experiencing. I thought of the values exercise and realised there are no reasons why I should be feeling the way I was at that point in time. These feelings and emotions were simply inconsistent with the values I chose to focus on. I was amazed that by just catching my thoughts and emotions, I can consciously change my way of thinking and enjoyed the remaining race.
Another useful gem of knowledge I’ve applied is lowering my expectations and raising my standards. I’ve lowered my expectations in the sense that given the conditions my original goal is no longer realistic. I’ve raised or maintained my standards by giving my best shot in the race.