SFH #23: Visiting your 'Why' 🔥
What lights you up? Can you see it running through your history?
I remember flipping through this big thick book called the 'Triathlete's Training Bible' at the Trek bike shop just off the Key Bridge in Georgetown, thinking this looks cool. 🏊🏼 🚴🏼♂️ 🏃🏽♂️ I was an impressionable 24-year-old ordering a new front wheel to my first road bike since the one prior was lifted right off a K Street post. I had no idea how simple the wheel's quick-release could be as a 'newbie' in the world of cycling and triathlon. I was merely enamored with the idea of doing my first triathlon. Little did I know that book would be rocket fuel for a decade of my life, training like the energizer bunny and creating some extraordinary moments and achievements as a coach.
One of the reasons I dove so deep into the endurance world was because it fed my desire to adapt and advance my athletic abilities. The bug started when I was about 11. I was obsessed with baseball, the New York Yankees, and Don Mattingly (their star player in the late 80s). ⚾️ Like all good devoted fans, I wanted to emulate my idol. One problem stood out. Donnie baseball was a lefty, and I was not. So, what did I do? I taught myself how to hit left-handed. I reversed-engineered the hitting techniques and fundamentals I was learning. It didn't seem overly complicated to me to flip everything from right to left or front to back. 🤷🏼♂️ I practiced relentlessly swinging my bat in the house, using the family couch as a batting tool to make sure I could swing level and smooth. Sorry, mom. I was driven to figure it out. I didn't know any other kids trying it, and maybe a couple of kids up until the age of 15 who could switch hit. I remember the two other boys I knew who could do it had baseball coach dads—in Texas. 🤠 I'm proud to say I taught myself. See my bar mitzvah boy idol pictured below. 🔥
That dedication and lesson I gave myself was the seed of my ability to learn, adapt, and teach others to reach new heights. I'm reflecting and sharing today because I find it essential to keep restating my 'why.' It fuels me. It lights me up to write the first sentence of this paragraph. I love learning how to be healthier, applying it in my life as a test subject, and teaching best practices along the way. It's opened up doors for me to do things I never imagined as a kid. I wanted to play 1st Base for the Yankees. I didn't think I would ever do an Ironman, launch a business supporting other aspiring triathletes, or go on the grandest adventure of growing a family and a coworking business in New York City. And looking back, I'm so grateful for the experiences along the way, no matter the ups and downs to get here today. I'm also incredibly thankful to be able to see the through lines with more clarity now. It's part of the whole learning and adapting method—It's brought me here to you, fresh in your inbox, smiling for the journey ahead where we all get to learn much, much more.
Happy Tuesday 🙌🏽