I have been thinking a lot lately about keeping it simple.

I just finished an enlightening book by Martin Dugard called “To Be a Runner”.  In addition to being a runner and author, he has spent the past several years as a high school running coach. Along with his tales of racing mishaps and the strategies he uses to provide the structure needed to mold young athletes, he describes in great detail the ongoing challenge he has personally faced over the years. Letting go.

He takes a profound look at the choices we make on a daily basis to overcome pain, discomfort and doubt in order to obtain the greater goal of simply going for it.

He says that the endurance athlete is the biggest offender when it comes to making excuses and over thinking things. Now, I always imagine those men and women to be competitive by nature. So, wouldn’t they be impervious to the lure of blowing off a workout or overcomplicating anything? Aren’t they all hard coded to “Just Do It”? According to him, apparently not. Sometimes the biggest struggle for runners is just getting out the door.

This came as a shock and a relief to me. When I trained for any race in the past, I could have written a screenplay with the ongoing dialogue that went through my head on a daily basis about what I should be doing and the potential consequences of not doing it right.

Martin is my hero and definitely my kind of runner. With all of the accolades he has received for races well run, he highlights his constant struggle to simplify the process and overcome his habit of focusing on the ‘shoulds’. He is consistently reminding himself to run for the right reasons and more importantly to just get out there.

Over the years he has changed his approach a great deal. On his daily runs, he purposefully chooses new paths, often weaving off course to seek out trails unexplored. He doesn’t wear a watch and never records miles. He simplifies the process so he can run for the sake of the experience and nothing else.

I think of how this applies to change in our lives. Especially change we decide to create for our own happiness.

What kind of magic could you create if you made the commitment to remain open to the journey alone, regardless of how scary it felt?

The point is simple but sometimes difficult to see.

Change, as in running is just about putting one foot in front of the other and getting out there to experience and explore.   

Opening yourself up to a world of possibility.

For more information on coaching to help you navigate change go to https://noellevan.com/work-with-me and let’s connect.