Dreams Come Alive

Of the many words I have heard used to describe participants of ultra events, champions in life and leaders of industry, is courage. And of the many definitions of courage, I like that by Raymond Lindquist best.

He called courage the power to let go of the familiar. To be courageous is to let go of familiar ideas and comfortable assumptions. An example is our set attitude toward age. In my formal talks and informal conversations on the Sahara Race, I invariably get responses along the lines of “I wish I could do something like this, but I’m too old.” And these are people in their 30’s and 40’s! Somehow it has been drilled into our consciousness that sporting pursuits are the domain of those in their teens and 20’s.

Running down the list of participants of any of the 4 Deserts races, it is clear that participants run the gamut from young to old. The oldest in the Sahara Race was Jack Denness, who at 74 years young, was a school caretaker in England. And this year he will be competing in the Badwater ultramarathon. Who says old people are of no use and should simply rest up and wait to die? Who says the youths of today can’t contribute and make a difference? Who says if you come from a certain school or socio economic background, that you should expect only this much from life and that you will end up at a certain point? Or that you will be this sort of person?

All too often we are too obsessed with how our labelling according to our schools, qualifications, colour, age etc, brands us for life. And so we are told and we believe, that it starts at a certain point and we go through a particular path and if we follow it, we will end up set for the rest of our life. But it doesn’t.

Roger Bannister. Gong Baoren. Cliff Young. Richard Branson. Barack Obama. Helen Keller. Ray Charles. Andrea Bocelli. Rosa Parks. Marie Curie. These are a random sprinkling of personalities, familiar and not so familiar, who had to courage to let go of familiar assumptions and perceived disadvantages to achieve greatness and make a difference.

Courage is the power to abandon our narrow way of thinking and with courage comes the curiosity and hunger to learn. With courage comes freedom for new ideas and new creations. With courage we break new ground, get better and become a better person.

What would it take for you to let go?