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Today's
Meditation:
Freud
said that human beings are driven by two main
motivations: the search for pleasure and the
avoidance of pain. If he's anywhere close to right,
then these words by Diana Nyad go against our natural
impulses, and I personally believe that she's right, even
though the idea is such a departure from what we find
desirable and comfortable.
I
know as a runner that what she says is undeniable.
When I try to improve my running times, I always have to
go through training periods that are quite painful--the
level of discomfort is extremely high, but I know that my
times never will improve unless I push myself to the
limits of my abilities. If I can run a mile
comfortably in seven minutes, I'll never improve if I run
just one mile in seven minutes every day for the rest of
my life. I have to look for ways to improve--I have
to run longer distances, and I have to push myself past my
level of comfort to a level of discomfort if I want to get
faster.
The
scary part when you're pushing yourself is the fear that you're not
going to make it to the end. In a five-mile race,
it's very hard to push yourself to the limits for the
first three miles because you know you still have a long
way to go, and you have to save something for those last
two miles.
But
just like Diana, I'm willing to put myself through
(almost) anything if I find something to be important
enough. Life is about reaching new levels and taking
risks and helping others to do the same, and if I can do
so consistently, I can help others just by being an
effective role model for them.
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