Birthright...

What's your excuse?  Photo by Brian Zimmerman

The Ironman, is a big deal.  Every race has around 3000 registrations, some end up getting hurt during training, or wimp out somewhere along the way.  Believe it or not, only about 2500 show up on race day for whatever reason.  That means about 20% of the people who make the decision to try, don't even show up at the start.  But even those people are already head and shoulders above the overwhelming population of the world, most of which don't ever even make the decision to start!!  (I am not talking just about the IM here).  If you simply decide to do something extraordinary, or even something great, you're already ahead of 90% of the world.  High-Five to you!  If you just made a serious decision to step out in faith and go for it, then you're already in the top 10% of humans!  Then all you have to do is get ready and show up on the first day and BAM your already ahead of 20% of those people, or the top 8%!!  You haven't even started yet!!   Let's look at the numbers specific to IronMan for a second.

The ironman has been running for approximately 30 years now, since the first one in DATE.  Over the years, the number of actual events per year has been climbing, but is at around 30 IM's each year, worldwide.  Of the roughly 3000 participants each event, about 1000 of them are there for the first time.  Assuming all of them complete it, then that's about 900,000 humans who have completed the IM in the last 30 years.  The world population is around 7billion.  So this means that if everyone who ever signed up completed it, then 0.0001% of humans would be iron men.  So just be deciding to try you put yourself in a very very elite group of people.  This is true for all great accomplishments, not just the ironman.  It all starts with a decision.  The key to this process is belief!  Why not you??!!  Why not now!!??

Transition station, lake placid the night before the IM
Photo curtesy of Brian Zimmerman.  Nice shot dude.

I was listening to a mentor of mine last night, who was making comments about a persons uniqueness in the universe.  Look at all the amazing life on the planet, and no doubt this planet is unique among the heavenly bodies we can see.  Of all the life on this globe, in all of it's variety and color, all this life is what it is.  Which is to say a fish will always be a fish and swim.  A deer will always be a vegetarian and be a deer.  A bear will always want to eat the fish and will be a carnivore.  All the life on this planet, is what it is and it has no choice to change, save humans.  Humans are given the amazing ability to adapt.  You want to be a vegetarian, go for it.  You want to be a runner, have at it!  You want to build a huge corporation and achieve freedom in your life and then help others do the same?  GREAT! Where exactly is the rulebook that says you can't be an IronMan?  Where is the law that says you can't swim??!!  Where is the stone on which "thou shalt always be afraid of heights" where is that rock?!!  I demand to see what the limits are on me!  The truth is, all the limitations you have holding you back, all of them, every single one, is a lie.   A horrible, disgusting, putrid lie that you need to remove from your life with all speed.  Get in the habit of replacing those kids of debilitating thoughts with something positive.  Make an affirmation and keep it in your mental back pocket incase you need it!  This is the battleground of your future!

Photo by Brian Zimmerman.  Huge high five to
the girl in the front!

You have the ability to be whatever you want.  To become what you want.  There is nothing saying that your past has to dictate your future, that where you come from is somehow controlling where you are going.  Break the chains!  Go for what you have always wanted to!  Giddy up!!  You are a human, act like it!  Guess how many other life forms, ever created in the history of time and space even have the ability to read this blog like you are doing right now??  NADA!  You are unique and special and wondrous and powerful and unstoppable and phenomenal and fantastic!!  Believe it!  Shoot me an email with your goals and what you want to do!  I believe that you can do every single one of them, anything is possible.  Greatness is your birthright, it's who you were made to be.  Forget your past, forget what others think.  You were created for breakthroughs, and to shatter expectations.  You were made to be an example of awesomeness!!  Go do what you were made to do.