The sound of footsteps behind me
A realization on the source of motivation.
“Average pace: 11 minutes, 4 seconds.”
The running app in my ear let me know that I was slowing down. I switched to a podcast to take my mind off the 5 miles I planned to conquer.
Between quotes from a divorced father who found creative ways to stay present in his son’s life, I heard my feet thumping on the dirt path along the riverside.
I thought I was alone, but another set of thumps followed right behind me.
Wanting to keep up, wanting to win, I picked up my pace.
“Average pace: 10 minutes, 14 seconds.”
I continued to push myself just a little bit to stay ahead of whoever was behind me and continued to hear their footsteps following closely.
Until, I was faced with a big puddle that required a balancing act on some rocks along the edge of the path.
I stopped, expecting someone to pass me.
But the footsteps behind me stopped too.
I looked back — no one was there.
Puzzled, I passed the puddle, and resumed my mile.
I heard footsteps behind me again. They pushed me to run faster.
“Average pace: 9 minutes, 11 seconds.”
The podcast episode ended.
All I heard were footsteps.
The sound of footsteps behind me motivated me to run faster. Push harder. Be better.
Then, I stopped. And they stopped too.
I glanced back, but saw no one.
The sound of footsteps were my own.
Inadvertently, I was racing myself.
It sounds silly, but this little race made me realize something.
Without people to compare myself to, and without my own footsteps I mistook for someone to compete against, I could have coasted at 11-minute miles the entire time.
But it wasn’t until I felt a sense of competition that I felt the urgency to run faster.
Having a pacer kept me accountable and gave me the motivation to push myself beyond what was comfortable. (Albeit that pacer being myself)
And beyond running, I realized that I have a kind of pacer for things I do in life.
The journaling, the reflection, the acknowledgement of where I’m at and who I’m being vs. where I want to go and who I want to be — these are all the sound of footsteps behind me in my life.
Because at the end of the day, it’s really just about being better than who I was, doing better than what I did, and competing against who I used to be.
As long as I am aware of those benchmarks, I’ll always be motivated to win.
What are your footsteps?
How are you acknowledging your “pace” so that you’re constantly improving?
Not sure where to start? Write a list of your accomplishments in the last month. Where have you added value and how can you top that this month?
👏+50 if you liked this post, so others can find it too. If you have real strategies for how you motivate yourself to constantly improve, share in the comments below!
