Austin and the Power of Positive Thinking

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t… You’re right.” – Henry Ford understood the power of positive thinking. And, so did Austin.

Completing a marathon requires months of training and the power of positive thinking. Just ask my son who was 11 years old when he completed the Los Angeles Marathon.  As a casual “jogger”, I knew physically it meant running 26.2 miles but, I had no idea of the mental marathon it had in store for me.

On race day, the scope of his goal really hit me: hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of LA in support of tens of thousands of marathoners nervously awaiting the start. I had been warned about the “wall”, the point somewhere around 18 miles into the race when, hopefully the power of positive thinking would take over for exhausted bodies that had given up.

So, that’s where I promised Austin I would be to cheer him on during his race.

Unfortunately, never having been to a marathon before, I had no idea how difficult it was to get from one spot to another. Instead, I settled in at the 24-mile marker.

The Power Of Positive Thinking Lesson #1 – Don’t Let Anyone Get Between You And Your Goal

When Austin reached the 18-mile spot, I was nowhere to be found. Dejected, from that point, he fell in with the middle of the pack and committed to a slow and painful trek towards the 26.2 mile finish. Hours passed as I sat on the curb at the 24-mile mark – - and no Austin.

Rather than panic, I started jogging towards the sea of runners, searching for him. About a mile later, I spotted him, walking, head and shoulders slung, dragging out each step in great agony, physically as well as mentally – I was crushed just looking at him.

“Hey! Austin,” I shouted.

No response.

I sprinted towards him. “Hey, ‘Aus!”  He attempted a smile but quickly let it go. His eyes watered.

“How’s it going, Sport?” I asked.

“Stupid question,” he mumbled.

I realized his spirit was completely broke. But, he kept walking.

“Where were you?” he choked on his tears. “You weren’t at the 18-mile marker, I looked for you and you weren’t there.”
I explained to him that I tried to get there but it was too difficult to get around the race, and I was afraid I’d miss him, but he wasn’t listening. He continued one step after another.

Tears flowed down both of our faces and I obviously wasn’t helping matters at all.

Watch this video for how this story relates to entrepreneurs and people wanting to start their own business.

The Power Of Positive Thinking Lesson #2 – Surround Yourself With Supportive People

We continued walking and I began to think about how much further it was to the finish line. I did the math and calculated 12 more stoplights and we were just coming up to one. I dug for a smile and an optimistic tone and said, “Hey ‘Aus, you know – there’s only 12 stoplights to go – we’re under number 12 now.”

He didn’t respond but he did keep walking.

A few minutes passed, I added, “And, look – - – we’re past number 12, headed to stoplight number 11.”
As we approached number 11, again I said, “Hey ‘Aus, here it is, stoplight number 11.” I pointed up to it as we passed under it.

This continued until we walked to stoplight number 8 where Austin glanced over at me and said, “Hey Mom, it’s stoplight number 8.”  I smiled back. “Yep, here we are, right underneath it now.”

“There goes number 8,” he said and he began to jog.

The Power Of Positive Thinking Lesson #3 – Henry Ford Was Right!

This little game continued until we rounded the stretch to the last quarter mile of the marathon – one stoplight to go – and beyond that we could both hear the loudspeaker and see the finish line.

By now we were both running and honestly, I was having a tough time keeping up with him. Finally, he sprinted for the finish, leaving me behind and I heard his name announced on the loud speaker. He glanced over his shoulder and yelled out to me…

The Power Of Positive Thinking Lesson #4 – Find Your Inspiration, You’re True “WHY”.

Hey Mom, Next year – You and Me, we’re running this thing together!” and he raced across the finish line.

The Power Of Positive Thinking Lesson #5 – Decide To Never Quit.

Eleven years old, his little legs had to take two steps for every single step the average marathoner took yet he never quit. Even though I had let him down. Even though it meant slowing down and walking some of the race.

He finished his race, and the following year he did it all over again with me in tow. That’s two marathons before he was even a teenager, before he ever drove a car, before he even thought about where he’d go to college. 26.2 miles, just, because he thought he could.

Think you can?

Yes -  think you can! Because, that’s exactly where the power of positive thinking all begins.