Part of the reason I run is so I can live like a Roman.



Not a Cajun, but occasionally funny

I’m from Louisiana where good eating is not only our birthright, it’s out patriotic duty. I can’t help myself. There is no way for me to live up to my stately duty, remain married to a Cajun, and enjoy life without regular exercise. I can’t afford and I don’t like health clubs, so I run. The long and short of it is that I run so I can eat, among other indulgences. I just happen to love both running and eating, so life is good to me….

Not health food, but good livin'

As for the rest of life, you don’t have to eat bird food and tofu. Like I said, I like to indulge, but the fact remains that as long as I stuff my face with Cajun fried lard and bacon grease, I will not perform at an optimal level. That’s fine. I can live with that. I don’t try to compete in races. I try to finish them. There are other areas in my life in which I strive to be competitive. To play at a higher level, you have to treat your body accordingly by feeding it well and taking care of it. My lifestyles won’t allow me to win a race, but that is my choice. Were it my goal to win (at least in my age group), then I will add another page to this blog titled, “Get out of the Way.” But until then, I am satisfied with my goals to run and finish the Antarctica, Marathon des Sables (a 150 mile race), a triathlon, and the Boston (oh, yeah!).

You ran a marathon. Great. What Next??

“Presume not that I am the thing I was”
- William Shakespeare

This blog asks you to dream and to dream big. It asks you to think of the seemingly impossible – and personally meaningful – life aspiration and to commit yourself to seeing it through.

This dream, this “impossible dream” as it were, can be a life changing event. More than a milestone like high school graduation and puberty (not necessarily in that order), this dream is something that stirs your soul, something that excites you just thinking about it.

Is it starting a business or becoming head of the company? Is it climbing Mount Everest? Is it graduating from medical school? Is it raising kids and seeing them through college? Could it be traveling the seven continents, or designing a world-renowned skyscraper? Whatever it is, it is something so gravitational in your life there is only one way to describe it: the BIG THING.

Metaphorically– and physically – I challenged you to pursue your personal BIG THINGs by learning how to triumph in goal making by training for and finishing the bipedal BIG THING: the marathon. And having finished a marathon – a BIG THING –it is not unusual to feel a sort of postpartum depression, considering you have nurtured a part of you that is, in a manner of speaking, a new life. So one might be tempted to ask, “Now what?”

Hopefully by now you know that your imagination is capable of taking you places you never dreamed possible. You understand how to plot a course to success, maintain the discipline to stay the course, and keep your mind and spirit uplifted though simple decision making and determination. And, Lord and feet willing, you know just what it takes to put it all together to make the BIG THING a reality in your life.

Can I get an Amen?

Now can I get a Hallelujah?

Because you can’t stop now. The rest of your life should be the journey from one BIG THING to another. By swinging on the trapeze of BIG THING to BIG THING your gaze will remain fixed on life’s horizons, your head held high. Your spirit will remain uplifted as you test yourself and prove yourself. Life will be a weightlifting program for your body, mind and soul… and you will be on steroids!

“The achievement of one goal should be the starting point of another.” Alexander Graham Bell

Hopefully now you understand that nothing is impossible and the only barrier standing between you and the next BIG THING is… you. Keeping dreaming BIG! Keep setting new goals. And the more goals you pursue and achieve, the more inspired you are to achieve even greater greatness.

Here are a few goals I want to accomplish after I finish this book:

1. FINISH the Boston Marathon
2. FINISH the Antarctica Marathon
3. Visit South America and Australia (finishing all 7 continents)
4. FINISH a book of fiction

These are just a few, and while they may not move you spiritually, the thought of facing these challenges and looking back on them all with a sense of accomplishment –well, it downright pumps me up.

“Life without passion is no life at all.” “Wang Dang” troubadour Ted Nugent, from God, Guns and Rock and Roll

And my daily goals – those “small” BIG THINGS that keep me focused in life and springy in my step include some of the following:

1. Rejoice in the gift of my children and teach them as best I can (without ruining what they already know)
2. Honor my wife and cherish every moment we have together (even when she complains about my snoring)
3. Cultivate the planet as her steward
4. Praise the Lord (and pass the ammunition).

Yes, I have plans for every one of these. You should see my pocket calendar. Hey, look. This is a way of life for me. Big Thinging and marathoning changed my life. I’m a believer.

One reason to have a goal or to focus on a pursuit of personal value is to put into practice all that you’re reading here. This book hopefully has given you good advice, and may have offered a pithy quote or two that really connected with you. You will finish the book, perhaps motivated, perhaps energized, but what will you do? And how will you remember the message I’ve communicated to you? Put it into practice. Take action now and practice what you already know.