Five Hindrances to Winning a Race
by Success in a race or in life demands that we not only do what we should but that we avoid the pitfalls that can cause us to lose our place on the winners’ ramp.
Raised as a dainty child, I never engage in any rough play or rigorous sporting activity. Still, I’ve run a few races in my time. Not the sweaty-run-in-the-sun kind of race, mind you, but the go-after-a-goal kind of race that everyone runs at some time or another. Not every race resulted in the success I anticipated and I walked away with the title of “also-ran” a few times.
We can make several analogies between how we run a race on the track and how we pursue our dreams or other goals we set for ourselves. One such analogy is made up of the hindrances that a runner should avoid if he or she wants to win the race.
See which of the following hindrances might be keeping you from starting right, staying the course and crossing the finish line.
GO!
-
The False Start
-
Pulling Up Short
Too late – anxiety and hesitation. Some opportunities shoot up unexpectedly. And although we might have been hoping for such an opportunity to come our way, when it does, it throws us in a state of shock. We freeze and sometimes that momentary paralysis is enough to cause us to lose the chance to run the race that we dreamed of and planned for all along.
Too soon – On the outer side of the starting line, is the premature start. We are so anxious that we jump on an idea before the time is right or before adequate research or some other preliminary preparation. Not only does this throw us off our rhythm, it affects us negatively, as well as those who may be looking to us for encouragement to run their own races, chase their own dreams.
Sometimes that inner voice says, “Wait, not now.” But in our enthusiasm, we hear, “Go!” Usually, a false start results in feelings of embarrassment, jeers from our detractors, rejection, loss of support, loss of momentum, and discouragement. Of course we also have to face the consequence of starting over because we missed the opportunity to jump in and sprint forward at the right time.
A cramp is one of the most common reasons why runners pull up short. It is painful and debilitating. Life, like running is peppered with cramps or unexpected situations that cripple us causing us to pull up short and abandon the race.
Some of the unexpected life-cramps that stall our progress, our speed and our success can be avoided if we prepare for the race we want to undertake. Research, strategy and training, discipline, persistence and a success mindset are some of the prerequisites that help to strengthen our muscles to ward off cramps or at least to deal with them quickly and get back on track.
Liked it
