You Are Your Opponent

One of my favorite shows from last year is back: "Dhani Tackles The Globe" on the Travel Channel. I love this show for many reasons, but the premise of it is cool. Dhani Jones, an NFL linebacker, travels to different countries to explore the land, try the food, meet the people, and to compete in their sports, often times at a professional level. It's cool to see how welcoming people are from different countries, and last year I got to see him compete in rugby, wrestling, and a bunch of other cool sports that I can't even remember the names of. Yesterday, I watched a bit of the first one for this season, where he visits Italy and begins to train for an 80 mile cycling event, where the first 27 kilometers is all an uphill climb to the peak of a mountain! Even as a cyclist, I feel that challenge to be daunting. Anyway, something he said caught my attention and got me thinking. He said something to the effect of:

"...my opponent is not the other team. My opponent is the mountain, myself, and my endurance..."

I paraphrased a bit there, but you get the idea. I recognized this to be true for much of the upcoming events I have signed up for, such as the 5k, 10 mile, and marathon runs, a triathlon, a 100-mile bike ride, and probably a few more on my agenda for the summer. Training for these events is a challenge in itself, and my main opponent is really myself. Think about that and hear it once again: Your biggest opponent is often times yourself. In your fitness, dieting, business, family life, etc. In all areas, you are the one who will determine whether you are disciplined and focused enough to push yourself to finish and perform in each and all areas of your life. It is when you can prioritize and really make the decision to follow through that you will be successful. So beat your opponent today, and get done the things you plan to. And plan to beat your opponent more often than not, and you are sure to win! Thanks for reading everyone!