SHIFT! (The Path of Most Resistance)

Sometimes in life…we just need a SHIFT! A shift in our thinking, a shift in our attitude, and a shift in our reality. Do you feel very comfortable right now in your everyday rut and routine? Is there something about it that feels very safe and comfortable? How far has it actually taken you? Do you also feel a bit (or a lot) dissatisfied with the direction that your life is going? Maybe you are not fulfilled in a job but it is paying the bills, or you are not happy with a relationship...or with some of the decisions that you have been making. You could just settle for less and live this way the rest of your life (because it is the path of least resistance)…or you could do something that shakes you to the core! A life that is all comfortable, easy, and cute is not worth much in my personal opinion. Anyone throughout history that left a lasting legacy had to make some sacrifices. Sometimes you just have to shock your system and do something that you previously thought was impossible. It’s time for a shift!

Every so often I pick something to do that goes against my comfort zone. Recently, I set an intention to wake up at 4 a.m. every morning to run my 5 mile loop (instead of running it at night). Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. Everything about me my entire life told me that I was a "night owl"...and would always be one. For sure I felt more awake, alert, and alive at 10 pm. at night than I did at 4 am. At least that was the lie I was telling myself. I have no plans to wake up at 4 am every single day for the rest of my life, but I will do it long enough until the shift has occurred in my thinking. When I can think of myself as the morning person kind a guy…I’ll know that I have done my job. Because I was comfortable with being a night owl, I was actually keeping myself stuck where I was. I'm always longing for more in life than the so called rat race. Deep down inside myself I always knew I was supposed to be doing something great with my life…I was just comfortable. Maybe you are too?!

Each time you take a stand, and decide to go a different direction in life you are shaking off the old you.…It's almost like shedding an old snake skin. You are going to need a little resistance to do that. Expect it to be hard! It will take some time for your mind, body, and spirit to catch up to the new equilibrium. If you have ever seen a snake shed an old skin…they rub against rocks, trees, or anything really to rid itself of the old skin. We are going to need to feel some resistance from outside forces too, and it won’t feel too comfortable. Our bodies won’t like it, our friends won’t like it…heck, some days you may secretly cuss yourself under your own breath! Let’s compare it to another snake analogy. When you start something radically new…it is like you are cutting off a snake's head…the body (old you) will slowly die. Yes the old you may flop around for a few more rounds, but will eventually realize that the head that has been feeding it is no longer there.

Sounds great Tony, but how do I start? You have to do something that rocks your world! Pick something that you previously thought was impossible for you. Years ago, for me this was running my first marathon…at first, I thought it was impossible for me. But, after completing the marathon...my life has never been the same. I had a new sense of who I was and what I could accomplish. Nothing felt impossible anymore. Now because of that shift...I have completed 11 marathons, a 57-miler, done over 600 run dedications, and completed a 1,700-mile run halfway across the country (with much more to come). All of this from just one SHIFT in my thinking. Some people will tell you to start small. Not me. Go for it all! If I don’t feel like I’m bout to end up dead or homeless…then my vision is too small (joking…not joking). If you can’t do something great in life then why are you here? I don’t want to live the cookie-cutter life - look, talk, and walk life everyone else…not for me bro! It’s time for you to leave a legacy that transcends time. It’s time for your SHIFT!
_____________________________________________________________________

Request a FREE Run Dedication here

Follow the Run Dedications on:  Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  LinkedIn