3527: 12 Lessons for Life from My First Marathon by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist

[00:00:00] Smartphones break down our lives. They open up many possibilities. We stream our favorite songs, share special moments and are all over the time. But often we lose our endless scrolling. Use the network again to inspire you from new places, plan your experiences and connect with your loved ones. Go We Life. Live in now instead of the network. Vodafone. Together we can.

[00:00:30] This is Optimal Living Daily. 12 Lessons for Life from My First Marathon by Joshua Becker of becomingminimalist.com and I'm Justin Malik, your personal narrator, reading blogs to you mostly but sometimes books, anything that I think will help you optimize your life. Today's post being from Joshua Becker, so let's get right to it as we optimize your life.

[00:00:55] 12 Lessons for Life from My First Marathon by Joshua Becker of becomingminimalist.com. Quote, We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon. Emil Zatopek.

[00:01:16] Yesterday I ran the Vermont City Marathon. It took me 4 hours and 31 minutes. My decision to run the marathon was based entirely on my lifelong dream of accomplishing such a feat. It was about realizing a dream and proving to myself that I could do it. However, along the way I realized numerous other benefits.

[00:01:34] I got into the best shape of my life. I made some new friends. I found countless hours to reflect on my life. And I learned some valuable lessons. Here then are the 12 most important lessons for life I learned during my first marathon. Number one, dreams are not meant to be wasted. We all dream of things that we want to accomplish in life. And they all have the same thing in common. They begin by taking one small step.

[00:02:02] For me, the first step was to read a book about running a marathon. That's it. From there, I put the book into practice and began working hard to fulfill my dream. It became completely within reach by simply taking one small step at a time. Whether your dream is to write a book, start a business, travel to Europe, or make things right with your children, they all begin with taking one small step. Don't waste any more time. Your dreams can be accomplished one small step at a time.

[00:02:31] Number two, fuel properly. You can't complete a marathon without fueling your body correctly. Remember, your body is your home base for life. So fuel it properly by eating healthy. You only get one life and one body to live it in. Take good care of it. Number three, compete less, encourage more. Marathon runners are notorious for offering encouragement to one another. They understand an important race principle. There is room at the finish line for all of us.

[00:03:00] It isn't all about winning or losing. It's about the experience and being in it together. As a result, the entire 26.2 mile race was filled with encouragement from bystanders and competitors committed to helping the other guy finish strong. Our world could learn a lot from marathon runners. Imagine how much better this world would be for everybody if we learn to encourage more and compete less. Number four, drive slower.

[00:03:25] Roads are shared by bicyclers, runners, and walkers. Therefore, drive slower and more courteous. Someone's life may just depend on it. Number five, shed the excess. When I started training, I ran with an iPod, headphones, a cell phone, and a small snack. But I learned a valuable lesson about halfway through my training. Shed the excess. Possess less and carry as little as possible.

[00:03:51] I began running with nothing in my pockets and enjoy the runs infinitely more. There were less things weighing me down. The same holds true with life. Shed your excess possessions. Get rid of any possessions in your home or life that are not necessary. They are weighing you down more than you think. You will enjoy life infinitely more by carrying as little as possible. Number six, I enjoy silence. Some marathoners like to run listening to music. I thought I did too, until the first time I ran without it.

[00:04:21] I soon began to love the quietness. I was able to listen to my body and focus on the run. In addition, my mind was freed up to think about my life and evaluate it. Some people enjoy running with noise, but I have grown to love the silence. You just may learn to love silence too, if you give it a shot. And I'm not just talking about running. Number seven, if you want to make new friends, get a new hobby. Hobbies give us things in common with others.

[00:04:49] They help form the foundation for new conversations and relationships. If you are looking for new friends, I recommend jumping into a new hobby. Learn bridge, join a tennis league, pick up quilting, volunteer, or give spirituality a shot. You will be pleasantly surprised at the new people you will meet. Number eight, run with your head up. Not just as an instruction for proper running technique, but as a metaphor for life. Stay positive and confident.

[00:05:16] Look where you are going and soak in as much of life as possible. Number nine, if you're running uphill, there is a downhill right around the corner. Downhill runs are easy because everything is on your side. Your stride lengthens, you pick up speed, and exert less energy. On the other hand, uphills are tough. Everything is working against you. Your stride shortens. Your breathing gets heavier. And every step feels like it could be your last.

[00:05:45] If you feel like your life is running uphill right now, fight through. A downhill is coming right around the corner. Number 10, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. The old African proverb contains enormous amounts of truth. At the beginning of the race, when I wanted to pick up speed, I ran by myself, passing countless runners in the process. But during miles 20 to 26, when I just wanted to finish the race,

[00:06:13] I found the necessary encouragement in a small pack of runners. At that point, I didn't dare leave them. I needed their presence, their pace, and their encouragement too much. The marathon distance would not have been possible without them. Number 11, there are plenty of good people left in this world. From the thousands who volunteered at the event, to the countless neighbors cheering from their yards offering water, oranges, or a sprinkler. The day was filled with good people.

[00:06:41] They were there with no agenda or anything to be gained personally from their service. They were just there to help and cheer us on. I thank them for pushing us through. But more importantly, I thank them for reminding me that there are plenty of good people still living life to the fullest. And number 12, move to the side and allow others to pass. There's no reason to stand in the way of someone preparing to pass you. You need to be courteous, notice those around you,

[00:07:08] and get to the side so that they can pass and run their most successful marathon possible. Our lives should look the same. Don't stand in the way of someone who is gifted and hungry enough to pass you. Even if you are older or have more tenure. They're just trying to live their most successful life possible, just like you. Let them pass. And cheer for them when they do. Life is far more enjoyable that way. Your dreams are far too valuable to be wasted. If you've got one, start realizing it today.

[00:07:37] You have no idea how it may change your life for the better. You just listened to the post titled, 12 Lessons for Life from My First Marathon by Joshua Becker of becomingminimalist.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. The grind never stops as a business owner. When you're hiring, you need a partner that works as hard as you do. And that's where LinkedIn Jobs comes in. We've been lucky finding our team here at Optimal Living Daily.

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[00:08:36] And the results speak for themselves. Approximately 72% of small and medium-sized businesses on LinkedIn say that LinkedIn helps them find high-quality candidates. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash selection. That's linkedin.com slash selection to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Thank you to Joshua. Great points in here. Number one was small steps, something we talk about often

[00:09:05] and also on Optimal Health daily. Actually, probably Optimal Finance daily too. Pretty much all of our shows. Because while we often look for the fastest way to something, it's really all about the journey, which begins with small steps forward. I don't know about you, but usually when I try to make leaps quickly when first starting something, I end up burning out and breaking the habit. Small steps have pretty much always led to the best results.

[00:09:30] And number six was about silence, which we don't talk about too much here, but worth considering. In pretty much everything we do, it's common to fill the tiny silences because it's so easy these days with smartphones. Standing in line at the grocery store, we'll fill the silence with scrolling on our favorite social media platforms. Not sure what to do with ourselves, check phone notifications, and so on. But the silence can be nice.

[00:09:58] I was at a dessert shop the other day and the person behind us overheard part of the conversation and then chimed in. Now some might be intimidated by that, but I found it nice. Random, positive, lighthearted human connection. Something I think we could all use a little more of right now. So something to think about today and this weekend. Thank you to Joshua for this one. Thank you for listening and being here, even for Friday and the weekend episodes.

[00:10:25] And I'll see you tomorrow over the weekend where your optimal life awaits.