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WHY? — Part II
...these same people, dream of being "doers." They fantasize about actualizing their goals and dreams. They also look to and live vicariously through role models to actualize what they haven't been able to or desire to make happen for themselves. Often those ideals are represented by athletes. Athletes and sport represents the dream world we all seek: goal reaching, money, fame, fantasy, extreme experiences, adrenaline highs, being in the great outdoors. These "should not" people, choose to remain in the stands rather than play on the field in the stadium of life.
 | The beauty is that we never get there. There is always more tunnel to roam in trying to find the light.... |
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Some of us along the way find our "thing," the thing that helps us grab a hold of our own personal dream world. It may be walking or swimming or knitting or adventure racing. It may be a shift of career, starting our own business or running our first 5K. We find self-perspective and see larger sides of our psyche through challenges and reaching goals. We like what we see so we look for more of the same, upping the ante, digging for that perfect place within ourselves that proves to us that we are the quintessential human being and that our own personal universe rocks.
The beauty is that we never get there. There is always more tunnel to roam through, trying to find the light. Mature athletes know this and have a sense of peace with this knowledge. It's about the journey. And in that journey we open previously dormant doors within our souls that would have never been opened without the seemingly unattainable push, the impossible task, the monumental physical undertaking. And we fail again and again. We learn in those failings that there are huge, wonderful lessons to be learned and we appreciate those lessons handed to us. We find ourselves living as a "player" and not just in sport but in our work, in our relationships. As athletes, our growth is endless and the treasured cup runneth over again and again.
| Adventure racing has brought that realization to new levels and continues to deliver.... |
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Many years in sport have brought me to countless open doors. So as I lay spent in a heap in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco addressing my defeat, I remained solid in my convictions of why I do what I do. The setbacks are perfect lessons, the meat and potatoes — the crux of life — the guts. The epiphanies, the "good stuff," the peak performance, the summit, the perfect sunset, the win, the finish line, are icing on the cake. Sport has taught me that. Adventure racing has brought that realization to new levels and continues to deliver.
What truly takes more energy — to idle and continually wonder if you "could have," or, to take action toward a goal and enjoy the ride? Or, Do you want icing for dinner, or do you want meat, potatoes and the cake that goes with the icing for dinner? You can choose.
— Terri Schneider, MountainZone.com Correspondent
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SEE ALSO: The A-Files | Start to Finish Index
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