What Do You Have to Prove?

Do you remember those bullies on the playground who seemed to “always have something to prove to everyone else?” They were the ones who walked around like they owned the place, towered above the rest of the little people, and always seemed so confident of themselves.

This Saturday I completed my first triathlon. It was a small sprint that consisted of a 300 meter swim, 12 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile swim. It was something that was quite dressed down from my original goal set 7 years ago which was to complete a Full Ironman Triathlon. Later in the day I found myself starting to talk myself out of my good feelings. After all, it wasn’t my original goal and I knew that I would finish because I had run, biked, and swum all of those distances in my training. But then I thought, “I should be happy and celebrate because after all these years I finally accomplished it rather than telling myself it was to not have completed it yet, “because I knew that I could do it.”

Two days later I lost a competition with one of my clients. We had an eight week goal to lose 8 pounds and run 80 miles. We both exceeded the run, he lost 8 pounds and I only lost 4. When we started the challenge I was confident that I COULD lose the 8 pounds but I did not set out to PROVE to myself that I could. My mindset was not in the right place. There are a lot of things that we CAN do in life and the vast majority of them are never done because we walk around not fully committed to proving to ourselves that we can. It becomes an easy justification in our mind. How often have you heard the saying, “Well, I could if I really wanted to but I don’t really want to right now, but I know I could.” Using “I can” as a justification for why you haven’t accomplished something is a lame excuse. As a coach it is an interesting experience to lose a challenge to your client. There was a part of me that was happy for his success and another personal part that felt very incongruent and out of integrity. There is something to learn from that. I did not commit to prove to myself that I would accomplish what I was knew I could do. In the end, I did not prove it to myself.

Maybe it is not so bad to have something to prove to yourself once in a while. Maybe it is time to get a little cocky, put your money where your mouth is, or walk the walk and talk the talk. Take one of those things that you know you could do and PROVE to yourself that you can accomplish it by actually getting up off of your tailbone and doing it! I DARE YOU to prove to yourself that you CAN lose those 10 pounds that you have wanted to drop, make that career transition, or commit to that relationship and make it work.

The only reason you have not completed what you know you can is because you are too scared of what you will have to accept about who you are, what you are, or what else you are capable of achieving that goal is completed!

I am more determined than ever to win the next challenge that I have set with my client. I now have something to prove to myself. I look in the mirror every morning and set out to prove to myself that I can change my eating and exercise habits and see the results I want. (To my client: I just logged my miles on Nike.com and I am ahead of you now!) Now that I have completed a sprint triathlon I am looking for that next race and who I will become as I prove to myself I can do another in less time. I am even looking to an Olympic length triathlon.

It is time to bully your self into proving something to yourself. I dare you to walk around with your chest out a little more, your head up a little higher and let your confident actions show the world what you have to Prove. The race is never complete until you cross the finish line and get your official time. What do you have to prove to yourself in order to have lived a whole and complete life? Pick one. Sign up for a race and maybe I will see you at the starting line, we may pass each other during the race, or end up celebrating at the finish line! What do you have to prove?