Sports Analogy

So, if you know a Fletcher, you know that we love sports analogies; can’t get enough.  I was running this morning and considering the impact this multi-sport lifestyle has had on me – both in my sports goals and the bleed over into my personal life.  When I started running, for fitness, five years ago, I never could have dreamed that I would be racing with an opportunity to wear my country’s shirt (having qualified for HalfMax National Championship at 70.3 distance).  I feel like this thing boils down to two principles that have changed my life and I want to share them -

1. Diligence.

2. Coaching.

First, the most impressive part of endurance sports is NOT the actual race, but the daily grind of training – waking up early and getting out there to do the work.  There is a common thread among successful people (ok, there are many common threads, but I’m talking about one) and that is diligence – the ability to set about a task and stick with it, even when things get hard and cease to be fun.  Frequently, we allow our emotions or feelings to dictate our actions whereas a diligent person allows the principle/task to be the deciding factor.  Learning to apply my physical body has really driven home Paul’s point on “beating his body” in 1 Corinthians 9:27 and I have reaped the benefits in my spiritual disciplines – prayer, Scripture, fathering, parenting, etc. Set goals, set steps to achieve the goals, and then set about them with diligence.

Secondly, coaching has made the setting of goals and the setting of plans to achieve those goals possible.  It is unwise to go through life without getting input from others – sports or life in general.  When I began endurance sports, I started working with a coach because I was a newbie – I’d never done anything other than a 10 mile run.  She was able to give me tips and pointers from her knowledge, but also from her experience.  She effectively communicated to me how she had failed and helped me take steps to not fall into the same trap(s).  We all need people around us who help shape us.  Is it possible that someone has struggled or succeeded in an area that we are currently going through?  Have we ever been brave enough to ask someone to evaluate where we are and where we want to go and give us feedback?

Wrestle with this – I’d love some feedback.