Marathon Musings pt. 2

⏰ Mindset Minute

{December 20, 2022}

Welcome to Part 2 of my musings from the Honolulu Marathon 2022

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR INFLUENCE
   Throughout the course there were people holding up signs, “Go Donna!” “You got this!” “You don’t have to train tomorrow!” They were cute and encouraging.

   But there was one that made me pause. A girl in her early twenties was walking down the road with a sign that read, “You paid for this.”

   That one lingered in my head for a bit. Was it meant as a sarcastic, “You don’t have to blame anyone but yourself,” kinda thing? Or “You went out of your way to pay someone else so that you could torture yourself?” Who knows…

   
   But regardless of her intention, she took up a good chunk of real estate in my mind even if it was just for a few minutes.

   
   Insight: The things you do and say take up mental real estate in people’s psyche. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, or a few seconds, remember that you have an affect on people. Being intentional and cognizant of how people feel when you enter or exit the room is how you grow or dissolve your influence.
   

2. REMEMBER YOUR MORTALITY
   As the route lead me past the Diamond Head Cemetery, I was, coincidentally, listening to the chapter “Meditate on Your Mortality” of The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday on Audible.

   
   He wrote that we have all be issued a terminal diagnosis and our days are numbered.
   
   Yes, remembering that we are going to die is morbid and sad, but it also allows for a surge in energy and motivation.
   
   If tomorrow was your last day on Earth, would you be satisfied and proud of your final days? Or would there be regret and guilt?
   
   Insight: There are people in the ground who died without ever living a day in there life. You have a responsibility to live the life that you are be proud of. Do hard things. Take bold actions. Live because you CAN.
   
   

3. THIS IS YOUR RACE
   Up until race day I had said, “Finishing under 6 hours would be a solid win for me!” 7-8 hours would be okay, and anything more than that would be pure embarrassment.
   
   But as the race went on, with my muscles throbbing and toenails going numb, I started to change what a “win” would look like for me. (After a while, simply finishing on two feet would be a win, lol.)
   
   But as I neared the finish line, I remembered that this was MY race, MY journey, and MY success. I got to choose what to celebrate because I endured it all.
   
   Insight: At the end of the day, my love, you get to decide what a “win” looks like to you, because this is YOUR race and YOUR journey to success.

If you’ve ever left a message on my phone, you’d hear this outgoing message:

“There’s a quote out there that says, ‘You were put on this Earth to do hard things so that you can show others that they can do hard things.’…”

I truly believe that to my very core.

Go out there and do hard things, my love. Because you can.

Dec. 11, 2022

Me and my über supportive husband shortly after crossing the finish line. It’s amazing that we’re still standing… and smiling.