Focus on constant forward progress.
I spent years stuck in a mindset that kept me from living the life I wanted.
It’s not that my life was terrible. My business was successful. My health was good. But I felt like something was missing I couldn’t put my finger on.
I knew enough about the power of my subconscious to know what my limiting beliefs were and where they came from. Deep down I believed that I wasn’t supposed to have success. I believed that it was wrong to win. Of course, subconscious beliefs are usually hidden from us. I only discovered this about myself by seeing the patterns my subconscious brought about in my life.
Positive affirmations didn’t help.
I had a list of affirmations I said almost every morning for fifteen years. I took most of them straight from the Bible, a book I believe to be true. These affirmations told me I was right to strive for success and to be a winner. But my subconscious made me feel like I was lying to myself.
The book that changed my life.
I ran across a book by Dr. Joe Dispenza called How to Break the Habit of Being Yourself. This book showed me a method to heal my fractured soul and integrate it with my body. The result was that I was able to direct my subconscious toward the goals I had set.
As a result, I dropped my weight to under 200 pounds. I had been setting this goal every year for fifteen years, and I had always failed.
I became an ultramarathon runner.
I saw photos of a friend who had completed a 50 mile trail race. I said, “That looks like fun.” I also told myself that I could probably run again since I’d lost weight.
I made a goal to run that same race the following year.
I went and ran my first mile on trails the next day.
I told no one about my goal. It wasn’t until a few weeks before the race that I told my wife what I was doing. I finished that race, and by then I was deeply involved with the trail running community. When I told my friends i was going to run the 100 mile option of the race next year, they said, “Of course! You can do it.”
Choose your friends wisely.
I was surrounded by runners who thought running 100 miles all at once was a reasonable and normal goal to go after. Several of them helped my train and were my crew and pacers for my first attempt at 100 miles.
I missed the cutoff time at 84 miles in. The overnight downpour made the trails like running on grease. I had a DNF, but was happy with my efforts.
A few weeks later my running friends told me about another 100 mile race. They said, “You’re ready. You can do it.” So I got my 100 mile finish at the Pumpkin Holler in Oklahoma.
Life is no mere marathon!
A friend of mine said that the race doesn’t really get interesting until after you’ve gone 60 miles. This is when you’re running in the dark of night and your body feels ready to quit. This is when the mindset you have will determine your success or failure.
You need to manage three things to succeed at running ultramarathons.
- You need to manage your energy.
- You need to manage your thoughts.
- You need to manage your emotions.
The ultramarathon mindset is for life, not just running.
Managing your energy, thoughts, and emotions is what you need for success in life as well. I found that success in running 100 miles came from my belief in myself. It also serves as a reminder that I can face and succeed when big challenges come to my life. I have confidence that I will succeed as long as I keep moving forward.
Below are some pictures from my ultra-running adventures.
The first key to transforming your life is understanding who you are. What you have in your life comes from who you are — always.
Eric Deeter