I have just recently returned from Hawaii where I volunteered to help with the 2013 Kona World Ironman competition. I volunteered in registration so I was able to interact with the athletes, hear their stories first hand, share their wonder, and see their excitment and worry first hand.
There were some very big names in this years event. It brought some thoughts to my mind and I see some very big parallels with the journey to be an Ironman and the journey that we each travel in our own personal lives.
It doesn't matter how famous you are, how much money you are being paid (in the case of someone representing a product), if you won the lottery, or if you made it to the event the good old fashioned way, you qualified. You can hire all the trainers that you need to help you along the way to improve your performance. You practice, you work hard, you push yourself to be the best that you can be in this sport.
When it comes to the day of the race, you are the one that has to do the work. All of those that have helped you along the way can come and cheer you on, but you are the only one that can swim, bike, and run to complete the task that you've set out to do. In the end, no matter how famous you are, you end up like all of the rest of the athletes in the race and you have to utilize all that you've learned during your training. You are the only one that can finish this race, there is no one else to do it for you.
Like life, in the end, the only one that can do the work to find happiness within yourself is you. You can get the training, learn techniques, but if you don't run the race yourself, learn to push yourself in those times that it is only you, all the training in the world will not get you across the finish line. There will always be people there, on the sidelines, to cheer you on. It is up to you to dig deep and keep moving forward ... no one can do that part for you.
