See Yourself As Your Champion

Be the person your biggest champion sees.

“You can do it.  I believe in you.  And, I will help.”

Those were the words my running coach said to me when he looked me in the eye the first day we met, the day that I stood before him and told him that I’d run my first mile only a year earlier and that I planned to run the Boston Marathon five short months from then.

He stared into my soul and said, as calm as a lake without a single ripple, “You can do it.  I believe in you.  And, I will help.”

And, I stared back at him, as if hypnotized and said, “I can do it.  You believe in me.  And, you will help.”

I concoct hare-brained, audacious plans for breakfast.  It’s my best and worst trait.  Yet, sometimes these dreams, which seem wildly exciting over corn flakes become intimidating during the long slog of the work it takes to make them a reality.  That’s when I consult my champions.

There is nothing like a champion looking at you — really, really looking at you, with your strengths and your challenges in plain sight — and telling you that you can do whatever it is that you want.  It is these champions who are the difference between whether we remain comfortable with the status quo, or rise above what we ever thought possible.  Good champions won’t just make you better, they will make you invincible, unstoppable, bulletproof.

And, why is this?  Champions see the very best version of you.  They see that person you aspire to be.  They spot the glimpses of greatness and are able to project them onto your broader experience.

Do you want to be great?  See yourself the way your champions see you, and go eat those dreams for breakfast.