Shortly after completing my sixth half marathon a few years ago, I caught myself falling into an old thought pattern. “I want to complete 10 half marathons, but I just don’t have time to maintain my training.” This is known as Parkinson’s Law. “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
I remember being in this same frame of mind when I first started running. I began the couch to 5K after my, at the time two year old, boy kept wanting to run around our big kitchen island. It was then I started thinking how it would be great to start running some 5Ks, but I did not think I would ever find the time to train. I also did not think I would ever be able to run the entire 3.1 miles. What was amazing to me was I went ahead and downloaded an app on my phone with a schedule and I found a way to make it happen without sacrificing or affecting my normal life.
After completing several 5K’s and about two years into running three to four times a week, I decided I wanted to run one half marathon. I knew it was going to be difficult to ramp up my training program while still juggling everything, including the fact we added our second baby boy to the family. I once again found a way to complete a training program and ran my first half marathon, and of course once I completed one, I wanted more.
About a week before my 10th half marathon, I was approaching mile four when I contemplated stopping even though I had set out to run nine. As I told myself out loud, “Be Great…Today!!!” to refocus and energize me, which it did, I realized I needed to share this message. I have been using this as my motivation and tag line for a couple of years now, but I have not shared what it means to me.
Let me give you a brief glimpse into my normal life. I have been a fully engaged husband for 23 years to my wonderful wife; am an active and involved dad with three young boys; have a full-time career as a VP, Chief People Officer; I do speaking engagements; have been on the Board of Directors for Tulsa Area Human Resource Association (TAHRA) for over ten years and President for one of those; and my running regime is four days a week. I am not telling you all of these things to brag, and I am not trying to tell you I am some kind of superstar or Superman (although those who know me know I love Superman), but rather to show you I am a normal person who can and does effectively accomplish a lot. We can all do and achieve so much more than we think we can. I just always try to remember to “Be Great…Today!”
Be Great…Today! to me is not necessarily about being the best all of the time. It is more about taking action, being solution focused, finding a way to accomplish goals daily (results) and making a positive impact on myself and others. People tend to struggle with this maybe because they do not think they have the experience or expertise needed so they have to keep researching or learning (analysis paralysis), get off track and just give up, let all of the day-to-day stuff consume them, or just a fear of failure.
Whenever I find myself stalling out or losing momentum or wanting to coast by just once, I remind myself to ‘Be Great…Today!’ and I really will say it out loud to myself. I emphasize ‘Today’ because we envision being great some day, but no way could it be today because we still have to accomplish XYZ. What ends up happening is some day is never reached or realized. Have you ever been on a diet or maybe a workout program and you derailed one day and thought you had to quit or wait until the following week or month to try again? I used to be that way, and it just kept me in an unproductive loop. Now if I derail a day on something, I just pick right back up and keep moving forward; adjust and continue, not stop.
Stop putting it off and take action now (today) to be great. Tell yourself that every day, and I promise it will shift your mode of thinking. Do not fear failure, but embrace it and learn from it. Always look for solutions and move forward. Do things to make a positive impact not only on you, but for everyone around you. Do something. Even if it is a small action; do it. You can’t fear action because inaction is an action in itself; you can’t avoid it. Instead embrace it and make it yours.
Brandon Brazeel, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
VP, Chief People Officer
