More Inspiration via Determination

Today, while reading the July/August issue of mental_floss, an article regarding the Olympics reminded me of a story I first learned of, last summer. Last July, when I had the pleasure of seeing Jack Canfield in person at the BCA/Cyclorama here in Boston, one of the stories he told was about Cliff Young, an Australian farmer who had never run a race in his life. And in his early 60s, he showed up for the first Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon. This Ultra Marathon was 544 miles. No, that is not a misprint or a typo. Five hundred forty-four miles! Cliff showed up to the race, no, not in the latest high-tech running shoes, but in workboots and overalls! He believed he could run the race, based on his experience as a farmer, working long hours in the outdoors and sometimes not sleeping for days, due to the nature of his work. He had no training and no previous running experience, except for a few years of recreational running. But what he did have, was BELIEF. Belief in himself and his ability to do it. Well, to make a long story short, guess what? Cliff, at age 61, did complete the Ultra Marathon.

And actually, he WON the Ultra Marathon. Yes, he came in First Place. Did I mention that this was a 544 mile race? And Cliff's first? And Cliff had no training and had never run a race before? And Cliff wore workboots and overalls? And also, Cliff was a vegetarian since the early 1970s.

Jack Canfield told the story in his usual animated way. I don't think I can do Cliff Young's story justice, in my own words here. I invite you to read more about Cliff Young, who died in 2003, in his 80s. Here are two links, you can access by clicking HERE and HERE. So, remember, belief is crucial. If you can believe it, you can achieve it.

For more of what I learned in the Jack Canfield workshop, please see my prior blog posting by CLICKING HERE.

Believe it, achieve it!