Running the Rat Race

Ever get tired of running the rat race of life and leadership?  The endless cycle of stress, exhaustion, and chaos?  There is a necessary level of endurance required to run the race, and there is a better way to do it. 

Running the Rat Race

Grant was Competing in a wrestling tournament this past weekend at the Cobb Convention Center.  The facility is about thirty minutes to the south of where we live. 

The first day was an individual competition, the next two was a team competition. 

For the last three days, we have packed coolers, insured we had all necessary equipment, and made the trek to the facility.  As a coach, I had to send reminders to the team, adjust to schedule delays, and keep the team updated on the status of the tournament.  Some days we had to get up extremely early, some days the tournament ran extremely late into the evening.  It was a rat race!

The last morning of the tournament (Sunday), I had two thoughts that came through my mind about running the race of life and leadership: 

I Don’t Want To Run

The first thought that morning…“I don’t want to run.”  As I typically do on Sundays, I peek ahead into the week ahead for my fitness program at CrossFit Ikanos.  Each day of the week has a programmed workout.

The program for Monday…”run two miles.”  Let me give you my thoughts on running long distances…I hate it!  It’s not that I’m bad at it, I just have very little interest in doing it.  My attitude towards it…not good.

Just like running long distances for me, each of us has days where we just don’t want to run the rat race of life and leadership.  We would much rather just hit the snooze, pull the covers back over our heads, and sleep in. 

Facing the endless gauntlet of mental, physical, and spiritual challenges that comes with the rat race can seem insurmountable.  We just don’t want to run.

It’s an attitude that keeps us at the starting line, and never appreciating the race we get to run. 

I’m Grateful for the Ability to Run

The second thought that morning…“I’m grateful to be able to run the rat race.”  This thought came to me when I was at the grocery store getting some supplies to get us through the final day of the tournament.

For the last two years, we have spent the last weekend of July at this tournament.  This will be the last.  Grant will start his senior year next Monday.  Guess what…next year, no three day tournament.  No last minute grocery run, no rushing to get to the facility on the time, and most of all…no coaching him. 

As this thought raced through my mind in the sports drink aisle, I couldn’t help but shift my attitude.  It transitioned from complaining to appreciating.  I was just grateful to make this grocery run that would begin the rat race of the day…a complete shift in my attitude.

All of us are guilty of missing these precious moments.  In the middle of the rat race, we can easily lose perspective.  In the busyness of the day, we can miss the beautiful reality of the race.   

Gratitude is an attitude that helps us better value the race of life and leadership.  I’m grateful for the ability to run the race of life and leadership.     

Conclusion

I once had a friend tell me that, “Attitude…It’s our choice.”  It’s the one thing we are in absolute control of minute by minute, day by day.  The way we choose to look at the rat race of life and leadership matters. 

There will be a day I won’t get to coach Grant, there will be a day there won’t be a need for that last minute grocery run, there will be a day where the stress won’t exist to get to the facility on time, there will be a day when the chaos doesn’t exist of rushing to get somewhere on time, and there will be a day I won’t physically be able to run two miles.

Until then, I just want to enjoy the rat race.  Every moment, every second of it.  Just soak it in. 

Vocabulary matters.  Every word we speak matters.  I believe that these two-word phrases can dramatically determine our attitude towards the rate race: “got to” or “get to.”

Want to shift our perspective in life and leadership?  The next time we “got to” do something, just remember that we “get to.”  The race is better run that way.