Winning an Olympic Gold Medal is a dream for many, and a reality for a very few. We watch an athlete like Michael Phelps compete, and it almost looks effortless -- like something staged for our enjoyment. An athlete dreams, he trains, he wins gold!
In reality, most of us are more like Gabriele Andersen-Scheiss than Michael Phelps. Andersen-Scheiss is the female marathoner who staggered into the the Memorial Coliseum in LA in 1984 -- clearly exhausted, barely able to walk, and brushing off all attempts at help. And she finished the race. She didn't earn a medal, some might say she embarrassed herself, but she finished the Olympic marathon under her own power.
And I find that when we are moving toward "greatness" in our lives, however we define that for ourselves, that we are not running swiftly toward that goal, with styled hair, matching accessories and a clever quip on the tongue. We look more like Andersen-Scheiss, contorted and exhausted, but so very human.
Where in your life are you staggering? Where are you aware that what you are doing is unfamiliar, rough, or messy? Good news -- that is the very place where you are moving toward something better for yourself. You are not content to sit on the sidelines, either cheering on others or complaining about how no one has ever bought you the right running shoes.
I find in my work with my coaching clients that we often believe that change is easy -- whether one desires to find a new job, become a more balanced person, or invite love into their life. We believe that if we only put our mind to it, we could run that Olympic marathon tomorrow; so we set out with the best of intentions. Guess what happens? We cramp up in mile 6 and have to walk, or feel dizzy and have to stop, or someone trips us and we fall flat on the pavement. "How could this be?" we often ask. "I must be a failure!" we might say to ourselves.
Just run. And when you fall flat, get up and start running again. Or go buy better shoes, or talk to someone about how you could change your form. Or simply ask for someone to help you stand up. But just keep running.
For, in the words of actress Mary Pickford, "what we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."
As long as you keep getting up and staggering forward, then greatness truly awaits you.
