erik is the only blind man that has climbed mt everest.  he was our keynote this morning at the USA triathlon coaches symposium.  his speech was inspiring beyond words.  he did a great job kicking off the morning, and bigger picture, he has helped to clear “my pathway.”  one of the things erik spoke on today was finding a way to grow due to adversity.

i won’t lie, i am angry.  my biggest issue being lack of funds (at the moment in triathlon (which is the largest focus in my life)).  i see my “finish line,” but i have lacked the forethought to think of my “pathway” as anything but cluttered.  here, i just listened to a man who climbed mt everest without one of the 5 senses.  amazing!  monetary issues seem silly.  the loss of my father seems much less of a limiter in this moment.  to compound on that, the loss of my father has provided the pathway for my life.  the road to kona, the road less travelled, the road as a survivor, specifically suicide survivor, i have been given a pathway of challenges to overcome.  mine is a story of hope.  upon my fathers death, i was given the opportunities, but also because of my fathers death, i deal with more than my fair share of  internal struggle.

another mental technique erik spoke to was what he calls ‘the finish line game.’  he suggested seeing the summit, the finish line, and take a step forward.  simple in concept, see the finish, and move forward regardless of your current reality.  i’ve known all along that my finish line was there on alli drive.  i “practiced finishing in Kona” towards the end of my first 10 mile run the day of my fathers funeral.  i moved forward despite my bleak current reality, and any limiters, i’ve created along the way or otherwise are as simple to overcome as a change in my perspective.  they have been opportunities to grow.

looking for motivation today, i recommend taking a look:  http://www.touchthetop.com/

’seeing is not believing, believing is believing…’