Signing up for an Ironman requires significant time and energy. Sacrifices need to be made. Discipline needs to be legit. Aches and pains will be a reality. However, there are also many lessons learned, discovered and deepened along the way that increase meaning and value to everyday life… and which happen to apply to all of life. I thought I’d share a few of those lessons with you over the weeks ahead.
Ironman lesson #1 - ‘Find someone better, make someone better.’
I started doing triathlons in 2010 (sprint and then Olympic distance), but signing up for an Ironman (IMAZ, 2019) was taking things to a whole new level. Fortunately for me, I was able to train with and to learn from several others who had prior Ironman experience (Kevin, Jeremy and Scott). In other words, ‘I found someone better’; (or in my case, multiple someone’s). I was able to learn and glean invaluable insights and information in training, technique, nutrition, etc… - all of which helped me to achieve my goal of becoming an Ironman. Their impact upon me was tremendous! And it helped me to achieve my goal of becoming an Ironman!
In December of 2020 my daughter Alexis and I signed up for Ironman Florida (November, 2021). Because of what I had learned from my previous experience, I was now able to come alongside of someone else (my daughter), in order to make her better and to help her achieve her goal. It was now my turn to ‘make someone better.’ And as a result, Alexis was able to achieve her goal of becoming an Ironman.
‘Find someone better; make someone better’, is not an Ironman slogan; it’s a life slogan. It applies to all areas of life - marriage, parenting, work, finances, debt, challenges, relationships, stressful circumstances. It requires a willingness to learn, to ask questions, to listen well, and to display humility.
So, is there an area of life in which you could benefit from having a coach, a mentor, someone who’s been there, done that? What step do you need to take to ‘Find someone better?’
And then who around you could benefit from you? What skills could you share, knowledge could you impart, encouragement could you give, help could you offer… that would ‘make someone else better?’
Everyone of us has something to offer. Maybe it’s time to open your eyes, see with a different perspective, and live with a different mindset… Who can I make better? ‘Find someone better; make someone better!’
Until next time…
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