I remember clicking the “submit” button on the World’s Toughest Mudder entry and thinking “Oh God… what have I done now?” But there was no backing out now. I had just “put my money where my mouth is” and committed to participate in the 2015 end-of-season event for Tough Mudder.
The 2015 World’s Toughest Mudder (WTM) was a 24-hour obstacle run held in and around Lake Las Vegas near Henderson, Nevada, in November. The goal was to complete as many laps as possible within 24-hours. In 2015, each lap contained twenty-one obstacles. The obstacles included climbing over walls, up cargo nets, through pipes with water coming down them, and under barbed wire. Some obstacles involved electricity; many involved water; some were mandatory; others had penalties for not completing. And then there was the Cliff: a 35-foot plummet into Lake Las Vegas.
Two years prior, when I signed up for my first Tough Mudder event in Colorado, I heard about the WTM and I distinctly remember thinking, “I could never do that.”
How did I make the shift from “impossible” to “inevitable”? In reflecting back on it, there were three key shifts that happened: I took baby steps, I used my fear, and I defined success on my terms.
First: Take baby steps that support an expanding belief
I grabbed and held on to “the glimmer.” The “glimmer” is the experience of something lighting up within you; the feeling of excitement in considering “the what if;” the whisper of intuition. When I first heard about WTM, I believed it was beyond what I was capable of. But I loved the idea of it. It seemed like such an epic challenge… one of those things that becomes a defining experience of your life. That’s the glimmer… the what if… the “wouldn’t it be great if I could do it.”
But I firmly believed it was beyond me. That didn’t keep me, however, from signing up and training for the Colorado event, an event of “only” 11 miles generally lasting about four hours. While that was a huge step in my mind, it was believable. I ended up having a great time, and I expanded my belief in what was possible… in what I was willing to believe about myself.
At that point the idea of participating in WTM moved from impossible to possible. But I still had work to do.
Second: Acknowledge and use fear as an indicator of improvement
I had to acknowledge that I was afraid but I was willing to go for it anyway. I used my fears as indicators of where I needed work. Often fear arises in the face of the unknown. We fear because we don’t know if we can cope with some aspect of life that we see as imminent. For instance, I had no clue about wetsuits (necessary on the course to avoid hypothermia). So I got a wetsuit and started training in it. I knew there was swimming involved and, honestly, I view swimming in roughly the same way most cats do. So I got a life jacket and confirmed I could use it during the event.
And I was afraid of jumping off a 35-foot high cliff into Lake Las Vegas. So I worked with a hypnotherapist who helped me develop a strategy for facing it.
Third: Define success by what makes you come alive
Trust me–there was a part of me that wanted to complete 10-laps (i.e. 50-miles which is a very respectable goal on that course); I wanted to win my age group (50+) or at least be in top ten. And I wanted to complete the full 24-hours. Those are all good goals but I also realized that, based on my inexperience, I had no idea if they were good goals for me. Instead, I defined success as doing my best and having fun. After all, if it’s not fun, why do it. And besides, I knew I could always go back the following year with a more competitive goal if that was important to me.
So how does this help you?
If you truly want to live a full life, you have to be out there on the edge in some way. You have to stretch in some way. For you, it may never be some crazy athletic event but maybe it’s going back to school; maybe it’s repairing a relationship or starting a new one; maybe it’s a new business or career; maybe it is opening your heart to trust God again. Whatever that obstacle is for you, rather than letting it limit and define you, consider first taking a baby step. What action would move you in the direction of your desire?
Use your fears as indicators of areas you need to address: take a class on how to be an effective adult student; identify those who love and support you no matter what; learn a new skill in your field; start meditating for five or ten minutes and listening to that still soft voice; be vulnerable with someone who loves you.
And then define your success, not based on some external, competitive goal that someone else has set. Rather, make it your goal. What would have to happen for this to be a win for you? Would it be enough to simply yet fully be present and enjoy the experience?
Move through these steps and you may find that what you, at one point, considered impossible becomes an inevitable expression of who you are and what you have come to do.
Peace, Blessings, & Joy.