Limiting beliefs hold you back

I grew up hating running.

Whenever I was participating in a running competition, I would come in third and below.

As a kid, it was frustrating.

I just couldn't understand why I could not run faster,

and I would struggle with running for long distances.

There I told myself: 'I can't run.'

It was the birth of a long self-limitation battle.

As I grew up into my teenhood,

I would dread the running portion of the fitness test.

I could get an 'A' for all of the other stations but running.

What did I get for running? A miserable 'E'.

I ran 14 minutes and 50 seconds for my 2.4km run.

There, I reinforced the idea that 'I can't run.'

It was buried deep within my inner mind.

As I became a young adult, I enlisted in the military.

During my basic military training, I remembered the first time when they mentioned:

"Alright, strip your shirts. We're going on a 3-kilometer run."

My heart sank.

To make matters worse, we had to jog in a company formation;

that means there's no way you can stop.

As we began to run, everything was manageable; I could keep up with my surroundings.

A few minutes later, my lungs were burning.

My mind was repeatedly screaming: "Stop now."

Slowly, my pace began slowing down. I knew I had to stop.

"Come on, Jason. Keep it moving! You're halfway there." my platoon mate shouted - slapping me in the back on my right.

"Man, how do you keep up? It's exhausting as hell!" I retaliated.

"It's in the mind. Breathe properly as well! We're all here with you." Another platoonmate added on my left.

I turned to look while I struggled to breathe.

"Breath with me."

"In through the nose, out through the mouth."

I matched his breathing cadence.

Lo and behold, the fatigue went away.

I was gobsmacked mentally.

'So all this time I could run, but I was just breathing wrongly?' I thought to myself.

Before I knew it, we were at the finish line.

I couldn't believe it.

"I can run!"

I felt a surge of confidence, and I was determined to develop it further.

I set a goal to achieve Gold for my military fitness test.

Target for 2.4km run: 10 minutes 30 secs.

After 2 weeks of rigorous training, it was test day.

I picked a running buddy - a platoonmate who was slightly faster than me, and I paced with him.

By the end of the run, I dropped onto the floor.

Catching my breath like a wheezing fish out of the water.

I couldn't believe it.

I ran 10 minutes 45 seconds. My personal best.

"I can run."

My limiting beliefs had been shattered.

The answers are within and around you.

You're not alone.

There are people around you who will help you.

All it takes - is awareness, and the will to change.

Get started now.

See you in the next Waypoint, Pathfinder.
Jason Nile