Winning The Marathons in Your Life

“Energy and Persistence Conquers All Things” Benjamin Franklin

If you are looking for tips for running marathons you are out of luck. I am a walker not a runner so I can’t be much help to those who run marathons. Those who run marathons, I have a great respect for with their disciplined training, their endurance and persistence to push to the end. I found out in writing this that a true marathon is 26.2 miles or 42 kilometers. Those races that are shorter are called 5K, 10K, and half-marathons.

Marathons are at times seen as metaphor for our life journey. In looking at the metaphor I see many of our stages in life relate to being like marathons as well. Work, discipline, sweat, and persistence are parts of many of the various marathons we face. I have been going through a marathon journey the past few years with my work towards my PhD in psychology. I am on the final grueling leg of my dissertation process. That is why the initial picture for this blog is that of reading and research.

Recently, even though I am at the final stage the urge to give up is often in my self-talk. I have approval of my topic and a research plan for a qualitative study but I fear putting it all together. All the course work with Capella University has prepared me for the research and writing of the dissertation, yet at the same time there is the now seemingly chronic fatigue of always balancing work, family and studies. With the plaguing negative self-talk of “just give up – you won’t make it”. Often it feels like it is just me and the race and being the slow one there is no one to cheer the runner on.

That is where persistence kicks in. The quote I have listed here is important in persistently ploughing through the final stages where you want to give up in your marathon whether it is finishing your education, working through marriage problems, or even in finishing a PhD dissertation. “Persistence is a refusal to quit. It is looking into the face of adversity and saying, “I like my odds”. It is an unwillingness to move aside. It is believing in a cause and being distracted by nothing.” There was no person related to the quote and I have found that anonymous quotes are many times the best.

When I look at the last leg of my marathon for my PhD in psychology the negativity of my mind fills my life with getting sidetracked with distractions and the desire to quit. Persistence comes in with clear minded focus on the end goal. It leads with positive self-talk such as “I like my odds – I can finish this!” Often in quitting the marathons in our lives we lose track in our initial belief in the cause of our goal so we let the stuff of life defeat us. It is at these give up times we need to refocus of the goal. As in my case going back to why I started the PhD process, what I can learn from my dissertation research for my future and the future for my family and my work with students and clients.

In talking to marathon runners even though it is the toughest near the end there can be for those who persist a second wind, often called the runner’s high. It is a burst of energy that carries them to the end of the race. In flow research, which is part of my dissertation study; that second wind is important to the flow process in marathon runners. In your personal life journey marathons, don’t give up and you will gain the burst of energy you need to finish.

Our important life journey stages if we really want life growth should be seen as marathons not sprints. Modern culture wants to speed everything into short sprints to success but real life is not that way. When you feel like giving up -- “Keep Going”.

Reflection—What marathon in life are you going through at the present. How does the persistence quote relate to your experience at the present time? What can you personally do to “Keep Going”?

New Growth in Springtime

Multivariate Statistics has taken a toll on writing in my blog. Back in high school I did well in math but I have never been a lover of numbers and especially statistics. The course almost made me want to give up on my Ph.D. in Psychology with Capella University. Thanks to a fantastic professor that made statistics interesting with his Dr. Trunk's wisdom, knowledgeable tutoring help with Susan the rock and roll tutor, and IBM SPSS software that made the output of tables and graphs sensible I was able to pass the class. Then knowing I just have two more research classes before dissertation, helps in keeping a mindset to finish the goal of the Ph.D. So I am now back to my blog.

Before the last week of class, the college I teach at had their Spring Break so my wife, daughter and I went back to Immanuel Prayer House in Belton, Texas. A couple of days of rest and quiet were mindful reminders of the need to pull aside and enjoy communion with God and nature. One of the mornings, we took a hike over at nearby Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir. The morning air was still chilly as one of the hopefully last cold fronts from the North was wearing off in Texas.
The hike gave us a much needed workout along the trail. Being a workday there were only a few other people on the trail. One young lady from the area out for walk helped point us in the right direction as we had become lost due to the trails not being clearly marked. The paths are clear but there was very little signage to let new people know the direction back to the parking.

As we started on the trail we were moving along fast then I spotted a flower growing out of the trunk of a tree. That is when we slowed down and began to notice all the new growth beginning with the coming of Spring. The young lady who helped us with directions had told us that the park is much nicer after Spring has fully come and the trees are filled out with leaves. So we decided we will need to take another trip there in April or May to see the park again.

As we came home we notice Spring was beginning new growth on our fruit trees with blossoms on our peach and plum trees in our backyard. This viewing of the start of Springtime reminded me of what we can learn from the Seasons in our self-growth. Just as Spring is when there is new growth to be seen in trees and flowers we can see the importance of new growth in our own lives. In Living More Than OK we need to appreciate continual growth so that our lives are not stagnant and dying. I saw a video recently from a psychologist mentioning a way to keep a healthy brain. Her idea was to take 15 minutes a day to learn something new. Take just a short time each day to read up on some new information to keep the mind growing. I prefer reading but you could also listen to an educational video on the internet as another way to learn new information.

As you enjoy the newness of Spring around you this time of year think of ways you can bring New Growth into your lives.

Reflection: Take some time to plant some flowers or vegetables in your yard. Their growth can be a reminder to grow yourself. Enjoy a weekend stroll at a local park or nearby State park to enjoy nature in Spring. What new ways do you want to grow this Spring?