Hold Nothing Back
“Full Send. No Half Sends.”
– T Shirt at Walmart
About four years ago, a mom of seven school age kids, who had a solid career and lived in a nice mountain town, decided to do something illogical. She applied to medical school, moved with her family to another state and put her head down for 45 straight months of intensive study, training and medical rotations.
This had been a dream of hers for decades.
She studied relentlessly.
She still attended kids’ games, performances and graduations (often studying notecards at halftime or intermission).
But she wasn’t just about school and family. She stayed true to her identity as a runner and trained daily. She did two full marathons, two 50-mile ultras and multiple other ridiculously long races and adventures all while a fulltime medical student.
There were battles, challenges, setbacks and some really hard days. The path had its share of scars, regrets and questions, but in the end, she finished what she set out to do.
Now, my ride or die is an M.D. getting ready to start her residency.
As someone who studies and works with top performers, I look at my wife’s journey and get curious as to how she achieved her audacious goal while maintaining all the things that meant so much to her.
From my perspective, four main things made this possible:
1. Never lose sight of your goal. Since she was six she wanted to be a doctor (when I was six, I wondered why the red crayons didn’t taste like strawberries). Her goal was clear and closely tied to her purpose of pushing her limits and helping others. She never lost sight of this, even when it seemed like a remote possibility.
2. Know your non-negotiables. Know what your priorities are and guard them jealously. For her it was family and running. They were not to be compromised. In four years, she probably missed less than 10 days of running and hardly any kids’ events. One of these kept her sane (running) and one drove her nuts (kids…and probably husband too) but they were untouchable. …in retrospect, coffee was probably another non-negotiable…
3. Have a team. Epic goals are hard to do alone. Who inspires you? Who holds you accountable? Who can you call when you need to bury a body at 3 AM? Who has your back when the whole mess comes crashing down? Family, friends, students and mentors were there for this journey. Conversely, she was there for others around her. It’s like the old proverb says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
4. Be willing to sacrifice. Good things rarely come easy or cheap. Many things that fell outside of family, running and school got the axe. We moved somewhere unfamiliar, leisure time took a hit, and we had to make some hard decisions on finances. You can’t have it all, but on the flip side, you don’t need it all.
This is one small example from my circle of someone going all in on their goals. There are so many other stories out there of people who set their sights and overcame far greater challenges with less support than shared here.
So, what about you and your team?
What are your audacious goals? The ones you’re almost afraid to name because success seems remote and failure inevitable.
What are your non-negotiables? What would you protect at all cost while on this epic journey?
Who’s in your corner? Who will inspire you on hard days? Hold you accountable? Who has your back when the storm rages?
What will you sacrifice? What do you need to leave behind to go all in? Not everyone and everything can make this journey. Ironically, often the things we leave behind to pursue greatness end up being things we never needed in the first place.
What is the next step and when will you take it? In the words of the great American actor/philosopher Woody Harrelson in Zombieland it’s “time to nut up or shut up”. Nothing changes until something changes, do the damn thing.
You got this.
Want a coach for an extra level of clarity, perspective and accountability? Hit up StoneWater Training - we want to be in your corner if you are going to push your limits. It’s what we do best.
