I am addicted

Light bulb moment ..... I have an addiction.

Have you ever had a moment when something obvious dawns on you and all of a sudden some haziness becomes crystal clear?

I had one of those moments recently. I was ordinary; I was having trouble juggling multiple issues and in hindsight not performing well at any of them. I was an average husband, a grumpy dad, an ordinary friend and a lethargic businessman and I knew it was being caused by something that I couldn't put my finger on. It certainly wasn't from lack of effort, and I was trying to practice what I preach. I was trying hard to be good at all those things but still stumbling.

It wasn't until my wife pushed me out the door to go for a run that I realised.

I realised I was addicted to running. Within 500 metres the light bulb went on and all of a sudden everything became clear. I hadn't run much in the previous two weeks and it was quickly taking it's toll. It was taking it's toll on my energy levels which resulted in me feeling flat and lethargic which made motivating myself to be better in so many areas so very hard. It was taking it's toll on my creativity to the point where I thought I had lost all creativity; I realised running was my time to tap into the deep depths of my brain and soul for inspiration, innovation and creativity. It was taking it's toll on my temperament because I wasn't able to focus my frustrations on something that I could control and that didn't effect others.

That run refocused me but it didn't make the issues I had to contend with disappear; it just made the process I needed to go through that much clearer. I already knew running meant a lot to me but it became clear that running is the addiction that allows me to succeed in other areas of my life. I am so fortunate that my addiction is such a positive one instead of a soul destroying one such as drugs, alcohol or gambling.

As humans it is important for us to find that something that drives our energy levels, our love of life and all that we do in it, our relationships, our ability to chase our dreams, and our pursuit of performance excellence. Without that something we can easily lose our way and become bogged down in just surviving. We need to be energised physically and mentally so that we KNOW our life has purpose and that we are being the best we can be.

Enough from me, I'm off for a run.

#running #performanceexcellence #performancecoaching