We’re in Seattle, asking “How well are you running the race of your life?” Let me help you rethink your approach, strengthen your stride, and get more satisfying results.
Life is a race, in the sense that there is a start, a finish, and some number of laps you’ll do. Not around a track, but around the sun. Some view this journey of years as a marathon to endure. Others, as an all-out sprint to see how much you can accumulate, create, or accomplish. I think it’s actually more like a relay.
In a relay race, you start running while looking backward. You grasp the baton, then run your leg as strong and beautifully as you can before handing it to the next runner. This metaphor works for me, as it recognizes our limited role in a far bigger journey that both precedes us and continues afterwards.
In your work and life, what baton are you currently advancing? You can’t hold or do everything, but you can reach for certain ideas, values, and principles. You grasp a profession or a body of work to understand and further. You look to those you admire and seek to emulate, then reach out, saying, “Hand it here. I’m ready. I’m worthy. Let me show you my best.”
During the course of your life, you advance your work and principles as well and as far as you can. But the accomplishment isn’t just about the distance, but how well you care for and preserve the baton. You don’t let it drop, become damaged, or lost along the way.
And then, at some point, or perhaps many points, you pass the baton to others, identifying eager runners who appreciate what you do, and are eager and willing to go further, in their own way and journey.
You get to choose the most interesting ideas. The highest values. The noblest pursuits. They don’t come from you, but to you, then through you as you find your stride and unique contribution. But they’re never yours to keep. You pass them on. In this way, the race continues, and what you value endures. So run your relay, and you’ll most definitely be Off Balance On Purpose.
The audio for this week’s coaching video is located under the “Get Inspired” tab in the Positive Playlist . You can subscribe to the podcast and listen to other weekly messages for improving all aspects of your life.