Hey Athletes:
As an athlete, you know how important practice is. Without practice, you’d never be ready to compete at your very best during game time. That’s why I spent four months practicing for my first marathon by running mile after mile after mile.
Even after all that practice, though, I was still scared I wouldn’t be able to finish the marathon on race day because I had never competed in any kind of race before. (Last week I told you about the scary nightmares I had for several nights before the race.)
So when it came time to step up to the starting line the morning of the race, I was still scared. Strangely enough, however, that fear slowly went away as I started actually running the marathon.
My parents waved me on at mile two and mile four. I knew I wouldn’t see them again until the halfway point, so I smiled, waved and kept going, counting down the miles.
Each time I passed a mile-marker, I was more motivated to find the next one. But as much as I loved watching the numbers grow, I looked forward to the water stations the most. (The water stations were set up every two miles along the course.) I gulped a cup of water or All Sport at each one. The urge to hug the volunteers handing me the fabulous liquids grew stronger with each station.
I reached mile 13.1 faster than I expected to. My breathing was normal. My pace was steady. And I only had half the original distance ahead of me. The race was going better than I could have ever imagined. Even if I took a little longer to run the second half, I’d still finish in my goal of four hours and thirty minutes. I’d even be able to sprint the final stretch like I had always dreamed of doing.
For an added boost of confidence, I spotted my parents in the crowd and waved. They waved back, and I kept running with only 13.1 miles to go.
What I didn’t know was that the real challenges were about to begin.
At mile 15, my feet started complaining. Then both my knees started to hurt. My muscles didn’t want to be left out and started doing some complaining of their own.
I was sore. I was tired. I was ready to quit. Especially when I didn’t see the mile-marker for mile 16 where I thought it was supposed to be. I figured my pace had gotten super duper slow and that I would never be able to make it to the finish line. Until I finally saw the marker for mile 17. (I somehow missed the 16 mark altogether.)
I was so happy to see the number 17 on that sign that tears of joy filled my eyes. I was making progress after all. Slowly and painfully, I was making progress.
The pain, torture and agony stuck with me throughout the next six miles. Up hills. Down hills. Around curves. Through grass. I was starting to believe that even if that finish line did really exist, I was now running way to slow to ever find it.
And sprinting the final stretch? What a fantasy. I was going to be thrilled just to be able to cross the finish line on my hands and knees.
Suddenly, 23 appeared on a sign beside the road. The war between my muscles to decide what part of me hurt the most quieted knowing I only had three miles left.
Then two.
Then one.
I was almost done.
More people lined the streets the closer I got to the finish line. They clapped and yelled and cheered. They still thought I was a runner. Maybe they were right. Maybe I’d prove it.
As I closed in on the finish, my feet and knees and muscles banded together for one last burst. I passed other weary runners.
The crowd noticed.
They called out my number.
I sprinted faster.
The finish came in to view.
A few more yards.
A few more feet.
Done.
I was done.
I finished a marathon.
It took me four hours and thirty-one minutes, but I was done. I just made a dream I once believed impossible come true because I kept going even though I was scared, doubted myself and just plain hurt the last half of the race.
When it comes to living your dreams “on the field” or off, you simply need to keep going. That’s how you reveal the CHAMPION in you.
To your sports dreams,
Bonnie Jean
You know you’re a Dream Doer if you imagine great things and take action to make those things happen.
If you’re a strong Dreamer, imagining those great things is easy for you. You love to imagine who you can be. What you can do. Where you can go.
In the imagination of a Dreamer, anything is possible.
But fear makes it tough to live your dreams. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of success.
As long as you let that fear stop you and prevent you from becoming all that God put you on earth to become, you’ll remain just a Dreamer and never become an unshakable, unbreakable, unstoppable champion Dream Doer.
When you choose to be satisfied with who you are and just dream about the things that are possible, you’ll never find a way to do what you dream.
Maybe, however, you’re a strong Doer. For you, taking action is easy. You’re always on the go and doing something. You are constantly busy.
But you may not always be busy doing something productive because of distractions. Lack of focus. No concentration.
Because even though you do things, you don’t really get anywhere. You just move from one thing to the next without planning or stopping to really dream of the possibilities life has to offer.
So Dreamers dream but get nothing done.
Doers do but get nowhere.
But a Dream Doer? Now you’re talking success.
A Dream Doer has the courage to imagine great things AND take action.
A Dream Doer makes the most out of life. A Dream Doer sees what she wants, believes she can get it and takes action to achieve her dreams.
A Dream Doer is a Champion.
So what about you? Are you a Dreamer? A Doer? Or a Champion Dream Doer?
To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean
As you can tell from the posts over the last three days, I’ve got a writing dream, a sports dream and a business dream.
I’m doing something about all of those dreams right now. Which is why I’ll be sharing my progress with you along the way. My goal is to be your coach so you can learn how to find a way to DO what you DREAM, too.
Speaking of your dreams, what is it you want?
Who do you want to be?
What do you want to do?
What do you want to have?
Why?
And what questions do you have about gaining confidence? Chasing your dreams? Being successful?
Please leave your questions in the comment section below. I promise to answer any question you ask to the best of my knowledge and ability. (I may even highlight your question in a future Friday post!)
To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean
Your Dream Doer Mission: Find a Way to DO What You Dream Today
Ever feel like you have no control over your own life? Like you have no freedom? Like you have to spend your time doing what other people tell you to, not what YOU want to do?
I had one of those days today.
After I got home from work, I spent the rest of my day working on a project for work that had to be done by 6:00 tomorrow morning.
I wanted to spend the rest of my day writing and editing a script so that I could be ready to record a video for you tomorrow that reveals my super simple confidence building formula.
But by the time I finished my work project, I was too tired to get any quality writing or editing done on the script. Grrr…
Still, I wanted to find a way to do something I WANTED TO DO today, something I had control over, something I chose to do that would be a way for me to live my dreams.
Otherwise I would go to bed all frustrated. Then I would wake up feeling all grumpy. And that would be a lousy start to a fresh new day.
So I made a choice to write this blog entry. This is what I consider fun and enjoyable. This is me living my dreams.
And now that I’m coming to the end of this entry, I no longer feel out of control, frustrated and annoyed that I had to spend my day doing what my boss needed me to do. I remembered that I am a Champion Dream Doer, and that I always find a way to do what I dream—no matter what.
So how did you find a way to live your dreams today?
To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean
Your Dream Doer Mission: Find a Way to DO What You Dream Today
Today was just a regular, ordinary day. I went to work, came home, did a workout. Nothing special. Then I did some reading to learn more about how to set and achieve goals. (Learning is so much fun!)
After a late dinner, I finally buckled down and spent an hour writing my book. I wrote six pages in that hour and got to exactly the place in the story I wanted to get to.
I didn’t have to write today. Nobody told me I had to write a certain amount of words or a certain amount of pages. Nobody is checking up on me to see if hit my writing goal. Nobody is even going to read the words I wrote today. (This draft will go through A LOT of editing before anybody would even want to read it!)
So why did I write when it would have been easier to do nothing?
Because I have made a choice to do something about my dream of being an author. This dream ‘fits’ me because it allows me to use my natural strengths and abilities. That’s what makes writing fun for me.
You have the power to make that same choice. You have the power to choose to do what you dream every regular ordinary day. You don’t have to wait for someone to give you permission. You don’t have to wait until you’re old enough. You don’t have to wait until you know enough.
You can start NOW. You can always find a way to do what you dream when you stick to your strengths.
So go. Find something you love to do and go do it. Turn your regular ordinary day into a Dream Doer Day!
To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean
