I’ve researched methods of healing both mind and body since I was about 17. I was a complete wreck back then, both mind and body. That was a lifetime ago.
I blindly stumbled upon a truth when I ran track in high school. I say blindly, because in the words attributed to Winston Churchill “Men occasionally stumble upon the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing has happened.”
I ran track and cross country all four years of high school. Those were the only sports accepting skeletally undernourished all-comers. When I walked into the gym the coach took one look at me and burst into laughter. But show up for practice and take part in meets and you were on the team. I came in last in every race. In a mile run, I was lapped twice on a quarter mile track by at least the first three placers. Fortunately no one showed up to watch the meets.
At the start of the season in my senior year, we raced the same distance on a much smaller indoor track high above a large gymnasium. I had no sense of the distance around the track, but that distance looked manageable. I kept up with the leader the entire race, knocking between two to three minutes off my outdoor track time.
I overheard the same coach who laughed at me three years before ask someone who I was. He said I had the ability to be a top competitor. I had just come in second in an indoor track meet, coming close to overtaking the first place runner. But when the race was at an outdoor track, I knew I would look at the huge quarter mile track and come in last. And that is what happened. I went back to coming in last and getting lapped by the first three placers, usually more.
That indoor track meet might have woken me up to the fact that we are bound by false limits. It might have been impact for change. Finally, I know what I might have learned after that run; that you can change beyond conceivable limits, and that some of that change can be as instantaneous as it was on that indoor track high above the gym.
Self-help books that help:
Total Self-Renewal through Attention Therapies and Open Focus
The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body
Love it! Personal, relatable, and very interesting. I just shared on Facebook. 🙂
I would love to post your email on being broke and happy.
Great 1st blog post, Joel! As an insulin-dependent Diabetic and a stroke survivor three years ago, I find that sometimes I let my health challenges be an obsticle in my daily living but I am learning to not let my medical conditions get in the way of my determination to give my best to all I have to give. Thanks for sharing: your words are inspirational! 🙂
That is inspirational for me, Melissa, and I’m sure for others. I hope you will follow and comment on how you do this. We can all grow from hearing this.
great post, Joel! Particularly like the phrase “skeletally undernourished all-comers”
And that is not understated at all, Jason. When I first came out to practice as a freshman, coach took one look and me and went into a fit of laughter. I stood there and I thought, well at least I can make someone have a good laugh.
Nice to hear from you Mr. Dames. I had you as my 11th grade English teacher and although I didn’t do well, just the other week I was telling my son how you had us look up the Latin meanings of words and that I wish I had paid more attention (this was as he was explaining something to me and saying he had broken down the word origins to figure out what it meant).
It’s remarkable how our perception can help or hinder our ability to achieve. How does the saying go? Something like: “Believe you can or believe you can’t. Either way, you’re right.” Thank you for the gentle reminder!
It is a a favorite little poem. Thanks for reminding me of it. I need to keep it in mind. And perhaps there are different versions:
If
If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost.
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellows will.
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you’re outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster person.
But sooner or later the person who wins
Is the one who thinks they can.
Walter D. Wintle
Joell, The poem is “Thinking” by Walter D. Wintle. Incidentally, I see I left the “d” off of stated in my last post! 🙂
That is good to hear. The poem is so famous and most artists would like to live on in their works. Wintle encapsulates a philosophy of success. In fact, I think Napoleon Hill included it in his “Think and Grow Rich,” years later. I hope he gave Wintle credit there, because that summarizes his entire book. Thanks, Shirley.
This is a great post Joell. Very well state, with inspiration to all who read it. We all need to wake up to some similar realities and situations.
Absolutely, Shirley. It is the reason I am doing this blog. Amy reminded me of a lovely little poem we had best keep in mind. Sadly, no one recalls the author.
You’re welcome, Joell.
Great post Joel, I see two messages in your observation. One, is that we limit ourselves by our perception of the task at hand more than the actual task itself and two, nearly every great accomplishment starts and ends with putting one foot in front of the other. The only difference between a pleasant afternoon stroll and winning an Olympic medal is the purpose and force of stride. Much love to you for sharing!
You are right on, Carlyne. I can still see it now. I would look at that huge quarter mile track and think about going around it four times and gravity increased two-fold in an instant. It is so crazy what the brain will do. It is your own brain trying to defeat you.