by Nathan Fager
Why?
I mean, seriously, why? I see no one chasing you. Your house is not on fire. No one is bleeding.
You just decided to buy ridiculously priced shoes and workout clothes so you could go for a run. Like it’s fun for you, or something like that. Who does that? News flash: No One!
But you did.
And not just once; you did it repeatedly. Even after the novelty of it wore off, even after the cute upperclassman in high school graduated and left the cross country team, even after multiple injuries, even after that race where nothing went as planned, even after you had nothing more to prove to yourself or others, you still ran.
Why?
The reason you decided to do what so few do is because there is something special about you. It’s not that you were born with a special DNA that makes you a superior athlete. It’s not that you have the type of personality that just likes doing ridiculously hard things as a means of self-torture. (Well, I guess that could be what makes you special, your “why.” But for the other 99.9% of us who run for reasons other than “I can” or “I want to,” there is something special inside us.) There is something special inside you.
Finding Your Why
Take a minute, or maybe a few, and sit down with yourself. Discover what is special about you.
We spend much of our lives trying to be like everybody else, to blend in, to avoid the labels But accepting your individuality will help you find your why.
The road that led you to today is special because it is yours. Own it. Identify with it. Iidentify with who you are, not with what you do. Some may choose to identify by a profession – “I’m a teacher,” “I’m a mom,” “I’m a greeter at Walmart.” But think deeper. Those are things you do, not who you are. Teachers are passionate people who care about the education and development of young people. Moms are people who are devoted to the nurturing and protection of their family. Walmart greeters are people who put a smile in their own hearts by putting a smile on the face of others.
Your why can be any number of things all at the same time. But you must remember to find the deeper identity of what makes you special. Don’t say, “I want to lose weight,” say, “I want to be a healthy person.” Don’t say, “I want to have fun,” say, “I want to be a person who brings joy to others.” Don’t say, “I want to feel better about myself,” say, “I want to be a person who inspires others to find greatness in themselves.”
When you start to go from “what I do” to “who I am,” the why becomes a personal trainer, a close companion, an actual force pushing you from behind and standing on top of the next hill saying, “You’re not there yet, but you will be.”
Using Your Why
If it’s only about what you do, then you won’t do it anymore if doing it gets tough. Iif it’s about who you are, then it won’t matter whether you’re having a good day or a bad day. The conditions around you won’t change the reality of what’s inside you.
It will be a struggle some days. It will feel like a personal trainer in one ear and in the other ear a voice of supposed reason giving you all the reasons why not. Trust me, the worst of these internal conversations will make you feel like you have a split personality.
However, for every “why not,” you will have your “why.” Your why will get you to take the first step as you stand up from the couch and move in the direction of those ridiculously priced shoes and workout clothes. Your why will get you to the start of what’s going to be a great run, short or long, fast or slow, alone or accompanied. It will be your run and it will be great. Your why will keep you going to the finish.
, Sometimes the “why not’s” will come flooding back, and the conversation inside will fire right back up again. But you won’t quit. You won’t give up. You have found your why. It will take to you the finish.
You will finish that extra mile of your training run. You’ll cross the finish line of that race. You’ll finish your life with a wink and a smile. Your loved ones will ask you, “Why? Seriously, why? No one was ever chasing you. Your house never caught fire. No one was ever bleeding.” You will inspire with the words that inspired your every step, your every run, your every finish.
If you want to know what makes me special, you need only ask. I’ll tell you my why. It might take the better part of a ten miler, but it could certainly be the topic of our long conversation. Then the next time we run, I’ll ask you your why. I’d love to hear it. It’s what pushed you to buy those ridiculously priced shoes. It’s what got you out to join the run club. It’s what keeps you going after all the setbacks. It’s what I will remind you of when your world is falling apart and you want nothing more to do with this ridiculous sport, and I will say, “Tell me again about your why.”
