Hit the Ground Running!
16 Jan 2015
It sounds so cliché but I am going to make 2015 the year of ‘can try’ and not ‘can’t’. I have always thought I was a driven person, but the more time passes by, the more I get set in my ways. I have noticed I have started putting myself into certain metaphorical boxes; which, quite frankly are an underestimated evaluation of myself and are not fair to my actual ability and talent. I have become a bit lazy I suppose, in both the way I approach my personal life and my work life.
This new direction has been inspired by an event I took part in in December for the British Heart Foundation called ‘Chase the Pud’. This was an organised fun walk/run where all the participants dress up as Father Christmas and chase a guy dressed up as a Christmas pudding over either 1 mile, 3 miles or 6 miles around my home town Richmond, North Yorkshire. Now, I had never run 6 miles – especially dressed as Father Christmas – so I thought, why not, let’s give it a go…sounds like fun?!?
I had always thought I was not much of a runner, but after an active year, I was in good stead for such a challenge. It was a cold day, I was full of cold, but, I hit the ground running – ha ha (sorry!) – and although it was extremely tiring and I really had to push myself to keep going, I managed to cross the line in a respectable 50 minutes.
After achieving this goal, I felt epic! This could have been down to the endorphins and humongous Chelsea Bun I was about to devour, but what a feeling. The sense of achievement of setting myself a challenge I never thought possible, then pushing myself to achieve it, was brilliant. It was no marathon dressed as a knight, but for me, I’d ran the furthest I’d ever run before, and taught myself something I never knew about myself. Also, the event is a win-win situation as I raised about £100 for a great charity too.
I hope my story may inspire you to drag yourself out of any metaphorical boxes you may find yourself in this year and push the boundaries of your imagination. With a little extra belief in yourself, who knows what you may be able to achieve in your business and social life this year.
Note: I only managed the first 3 miles dressed up as Father Christmas! It was very hot once I got going, so I ended up as a white bearded, sweaty mess with a Christmas hat on by the end. LOL.
