Don't Let Your Feelings Get in the Way

- by Matt Leedham

“It’s not how you feel, it’s what you plan to do.” - Warren Rustand

I’m not going to harp on this one because it speaks for itself. Think about it.

“I don’t feel like going to the gym.”
“I don’t feel like getting up early to work on that business plan.”
“I don’t feel like going over to the in-laws this Sunday.”

If we all operated based on how we felt, guess where we’d be. Nowhere. It’s not how you feel, it’s what you plan to do. Each of us makes a conscious decision to tackle a goal or not based feelings, our gut emotions, desires, ambitions, etc. However, once the decision is made, feelings need to go out the window. Especially if you care about achieving the goal.

I’ve run two marathons in the last 5 years. The first one was the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. I “hit the wall” at mile 17 and limped my way to the finish line 9 miles later in 4 hours and 34 minutes. That was a very disappointing time for me – my goal was 4 hours. Why didn’t I achieve the goal?

Because I didn’t feel like pushing through the pain to achieve my goal. I stopped. I drank water. I stretched. I walked. I stopped again. And for the next few years, I regretted that I let my feelings get in the way of my goal.

This past February, I ran a marathon in Austin, TX. I crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 42 minutes. Why did I not only achieve my goal, but crush it?

Well, I certainly didn’t feel any different (or look in any less agony - see picture). I definitely wanted to stop, stretch, drink water, and give up. But this time, I would not let myself stop moving. I didn’t care that my pace was a 7:50 minute mile on miles 1-19, and then slowly decreased to 9:10 on miles 20-24. I told myself, “just keep moving.” And before I knew it, I was circling the Texas State Capitol building and sprinting down North Congress Avenue looking at that big, red, digital race clock…well under 4 hours.

I worked on that goal for 4 months through the harshest DC winter in decades. It was what I planned to do. I’ll be damned if I was going to let my feelings get in the way.

Don’t just dream it, achieve it!