You are in control!

Happy Sunday to you.  I enjoyed a nice 6.25 mile run this morning as the temps in Indy have risen to the 30s.  It's so nice to have it warm up a bit.  The 30s are much more bearable than the teens and single digits.  For the year, I have eclipsed the 100 mile mark.  Not bad.  Last week was a rough week for running as work was very busy.  I hope to carve out more time this week.

Today I want to write a little about something I read in Running Times this morning.  One thing I've not shared much in this blog is that I do quite a bit of reading about running, leadership, and then just good ole fashioned mystery novels.  Today, I read an article about a runner named Dave Griffin, a pretty darn good runner in the 80s.  He said:

"I never believed that someone or something else was responsible for my success.  Running taught me long ago that there's danger in thinking that way.  The moment you leave your future in hands outside your control is the moment you place it (your future) in the hands of circumstance.  And circumstance doesn't much care about your success."

This quote struck a cord with me because I truly believe what Dave said.  In my own life, I have made the decision that I am the one who dictates how it goes and it largely depends on my self-discipline to complete the tasks I need to complete.  In running, if I put the miles in and do the speedwork, then I run fast at races.  If I don't, then racing is tough and I struggle.  However, the work is up to me.  If I want it bad enough, I'll get up out of bed to run and make time.  I talk a lot about this with our Supervisory Team and Undergraduate Staff at IUPUI.  We create an outstanding residential experience for our students by believing that we are the one's who can control that.  If you believe it will go well and that you can make it go well and then put in the work, then it will go splendidly.  Over the years I've had several trainings that I have personally developed or developed with another person, and they've gone really well.  At first, I thought it was just luck.  However, what I realized is that when you create workshops and trainings and you truly believe that you have the ability, knowledge, and expertise to implement it well, then it will go well.  It takes an extraordinary amount of work, preperation, and learning, but all of us have it within ourselves to create outstanding products. 

And...I just want to spend a couple sentences on Dave's last point about "circumstance."  I hear from people every so often that things would have been better if not for this or they could not accomplish something because of that.  Truly, they have decided that "circumstance" dictates their ability to reach their goals rather than needing to find a different way to reach their goals if "circumstance" gets in their direct path.  Nearly every accomplishment I've ever achieved in running or with my Residence Life Teams required me to alter the original plan.  I've learned to account for "circumstance" rather than have my success dictated by "circumstance."  It's a tough concept to accept because if you accept control over your success regardless of "circumstance," then the person responsible for what happens is the one looking back at you in the mirror.  That can be scary, but it can also be so self-empowering.

Have a great week. Let the "circumstances," such as snow, ice, frigid temps, etc., that you encounter in your daily runs help you learn how to deal with "circumstances" that occur in your daily life.  Happy running to you.