Life Lessons from Shorty
The Olympics are coming to a close and I always enjoy this time every four years (or every two years, however you want to look at it) because you get to watch these athletes do amazing things! Whether it’s breaking world records or doing things that you didn’t think somebody that small or that big could do and I love getting to hear the stories behind the athletes. But it got me to thinking of somebody I used to go to school with who was a really good distance runner and she came in tops in all the track meets and then when it was cross country season, she was always up on top of the podium during cross country season. And the thing that made it even more impressive is she was under 5 foot tall, earning herself the nickname ‘Shorty’. We asked Shorty one day “how do you run for such long distances without ever getting tired and wearing yourself down?” She said “during a race, especially on the track when you’re going in circles, I only focus on the step right in front of me. I’m never looking around the track, I’m never watching the other runners, I’m always focusing on the step that is right in front of me.” That’s great advice, not just for running but also for running the race of life. Life can be so overwhelming and it’s great to look big-picture every once-in-a-while, so you can see what race you’re actually running – making sure you’re running a mile, instead of thinking that you’re running 100-yard dash. But, when it comes to trying to actually do things, trying to meet your goals, it’s very important to focus on that step that’s right in front of you. Because if we’re constantly looking long term, constantly looking big picture, we can get overwhelmed very easy and we can let the “race” overwhelm us. So, just make sure you’re focusing on the steps that are right in front of you. Make everything bite-size. Make everything easy. Make everything short and learn those life lessons from Shorty. Y’all have a good one!