Outside of the Box

I met an amazing woman yesterday. At the age of 70 she completed an Ironman Triathlon.  An Ironman Triathlon, for those who do not know, is 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 marathon.

And she did this at 70 years of age! She said that she went to the doctors at 65 and he said that her heart and lungs were as healthy as a 16 year old, and that she was going to live for a long time. He suggested that she start getting involved in sports or some sort of physical activity to carry her through the years.  She considered this, and set her sights high.

Absolutely enthralled by her story, I began asking questions about the day of the race. As a Floridian, she said that she wasn't used to the frigid morning air the day of the race in North Carolina. She dreaded stepping a foot in the freezing ocean waters. When I asked her how she overcame this- she said that she followed the rules that she had in her training.

"When things go wrong or are hard, I put myself in a box.  Everything inside of the box are things I can control which are basically my clothes and my thoughts. Everything outside of the box I cannot control- the weather.  Knowing that I can't control what is outside of the box helps me push ahead. I change what I can change and let go of everything else."

I find this to be a great lesson in life.  When things are hard/difficult/different put yourself in a box. Know that there are things that are out of your control and let them go.