The Ability to Start Over Is a Strategic Advantage
This week: STARTING OVER.
When I ran my first marathon it wasn’t planned: I was inspired by the signs for the race when I arrived at the Honolulu Airport for a three-week business trip. I immediately wanted to do the race. I had been running about 25 miles a week . . . good, but considered insufficient for a race of 26 miles. So I made a decision that, no matter how slowly I went, I would run every single step.
One of the devices that I used on the course was to say to myself – sometimes aloud, but mostly internally – “This step is now the first step of the race.” That was my mantra, and I’m sure I said it thousands of times . . . and it allowed me to achieve my goal of both finishing and running every step – no matter how slow.
The ability to start over is a strategic advantage in achieving results. We humans have often been burdened by our individual or collective history. In the case of the race, I wanted to avoid thinking that because I had already run 8, 12, 18, 22, 25 miles, etc., that I should be tired. By recognizing that that history was over each moment . . . and by not carrying it around like baggage . . . I was free to create a different reality.
How can a deliberate decision to start over to assist you in getting what you want? Are there places where you have been allowing history to hold you back? Choose a place to practice starting over today!