Recently, I got a call from one of the ace athletes from my college days.
Before this, the last time we spoke was 3 years ago. He called me to “congratulate me on finishing my first Marathon”.
It is always a privilege to be valued and appreciated by people whom you look up to. So, every word they mutter is gold.
He complemented me on my 2 years journey of running. And said, “slowly slowly, you are now running a marathonβ¦ That’s wonderful”
It is a wonder to me as well. But, the point that I want to make today is not about running a marathon.
It’s about the prime purpose of running. This happens to us, all the time, in almost all walks of life. We tend to forget, why we started.
Why we got married and now kids?
Why we started working and making money?
Why we made friends?
Why? Why? Why?
And therefore, I want to tell you, why I started running?
I started to run at 38 years of age. I was over weight. I was suffering lifestyle diseases. I was under stress and depression.
And so, one day, I discovered that when I ran, I could be better. I enjoyed the process of running.
These were the days, when I would run in ordinary shoes. I did not have any tracker like smart watch or app to record my runs. I would wear cotton T and sweat profusely while I ran.
But, I felt on top of the world after every run. I would be happy. I would be joyous.
My running in the morning filled me with energy and hope. I lapped my first victory of the day with running.
Running for me represented a ritual. A sign of vitality.
And so, in the last 2 years, I have always kept this JOY of running as my GPS. I gradually graduated to running in technical shoes, and bought a lot of technical gizmos⦠Learned and picked up the running lingo. Probably, I can teach a class on running.
The result is: I am injury free. I have not suffered a single injury.
I am saying this because, I am seeing this being forgotten by many. The question, “why I started” has faded and therefore, for them, the question is, “how can I be faster?”.
For them faster is better. Every day, I come across profiles where people are back to square 1. Their running has stopped.
They are undergoing treatments. And this is what saddens me. They have forgotten the golden rule of driving big results.
To deliver and accomplish, you need to be in the game. so, you need to stay injury free.
The same holds for our work life and relationships. When we start to expect the wrong things, we start to suffer.
My running is spiritual. It has taught me to treat my relationships and my work the same way. I always keep in mind,
Why I got married and have kids now.
Why I started to work.
And I want you to remind yourself, the “simple, yet profound reason” of why you started.
Please don’t be lost. Hold on to your “purpose”.
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