By HPRS Staff Columnist Jacob Stevens
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
For a lot of people feelings of depression, anxiety, unworthiness, or just “going through the motions” has become routine and nothing to raise any flags or be of any cause for concern. Unfortunately, what has now become the norm is something that is contributing to the “good enough” world that we have found ourselves living in. For better or for worse, we don’t expect greatness or high standards for anything anymore. Look at these sentences and see if they relate:
“My job isn’t that great or the one that I really want but it pays the bills, my boss approves my time off requests, so it is good enough.”
“My relationship isn’t exactly what I imagined but I’m more or less happy and the kids are happy, so it is good enough.”
“My eating habits don’t allow for optimal performance but I’m not overweight, I don’t take any medications, and my doctor is content, so they are good enough.”
“When I look in the mirror, I’m not exactly happy with what I see but I’m not classified as ‘overweight’ so that’s good enough.”
Sound familiar? We have somehow found ourselves in a world where we just get by and not only is that okay, but it is accepted and expected. I find this to be a sincere tragedy of the human condition.
As we cross the threshold into a new year, I implore you to take a serious look at yourself and make a commitment to not be good enough…be great and be you. I’m not saying go out and quit your job or break up with your significant other but I am telling you that if you make a commitment to sincerely and genuinely work on yourself you will find yourself in a better place than the one you were in. The starting line doesn’t matter, only that you toe the line and start moving forward.
The prestige and the accolades in trail running are not the buckles, medals, finisher jackets, or race photos but the courage to toe the starting line and start moving forward when the race starts, or to show up and selflessly give your time and energy to others as you help them achieve their goals and be a part of their journey. You see being part of someone else’s journey inevitably adds more value to your own…so be selfish and give back to the community that has given so much to you.
Michele selflessly and meticulously planning and packing for my race,
which becomes OUR race, which leads to OUR success
As we move forward, I’ve decided to heed my own advice and I have become part of the HPRS family. With that comes acts of selflessness to better our community and to give back which, in and of itself, is oftentimes more rewarding than finishing a race. For the first few years of my “ultra-running career” I ran as many races as possible, or as many as my wife would allow, and if we are being honest, never really gave a second thought to how it was made possible for me to run the number of races that I have. It wasn’t until a beautiful and vast Oregon night sky made me realize just how little I was in the grand scheme of things and just how little we all are but just how big of an impact we can have on each other. For as tiny as we are in the grand scope of the universe, we can make an incredible difference in each other’s lives.
January 1st may have come and gone and as a matter of the fact I have already heard it said once this year, “yep, already messed that resolution up, oh well…2021 is going to be my year!” but it doesn’t have to be that way. Many years ago, my father, a highly successful top-level corporate executive, gave me a book that was once given to him which he in turn gave out to his sales teams, Permission to Win by Ray Pelletier. I haven’t read this book in over a decade but one idea that has stayed with me is the two types of people Mr. Pelletier describes: December 31st people and January 1st people.
December 31st people are always amped up, motivated, and excited to kick off the new year on January 1st with a host of ambitions and resolutions; after all tomorrow is January 1st and they are ready to reinvent their new self! January 1st people on the other hand quietly get up and get to work on whatever it is that they are going to do to improve themselves or their situation; because today is January 1st and there is work to be done. These January 1st types are the types that get things done and realize long term success because even if they mess up or fall of the wagon, they have come to the realization that every day has the potential to be January 1st.
So, as the holiday season comes to a close and we settle back into our routines remember that everyday can be January 1st and the world of “good enough” is not a world that is going to inspire success. Do not lead quiet lives of desperation as Mr. Thoreau presumes most people do; let’s move in the one direction that we as trail and ultra-runners know so dearly: forward. Let’s toe the line and not settle for good enough any longer. Let’s sign up for that notoriously difficult HPRS race, grab a chainsaw and get involved with a trail-work day, or commit to captain an aid station. Let’s take risks and do things that scare us as we strive for love, happiness, and success this year. Let’s give back and each day leave the world just a little better than when we found it that morning because you are amazing, and you can make a difference!