The Dalai Lama happens to be on my personal top five most influential people that I would like to meet. If I could possess a fraction of this guy’s knowledge I would be set! So listed below are the 20 Instructions for Life and my interpretations.
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. This can touch on many levels from running your first race, moving to a new state or country, quitting a job, taking a new job, learning a how to cook a new recipe, ending a relationship, starting a new relationship. Big or small it is a natural human reaction when taking a risk to associate fear. Therefor we never take the leap of faith, but honestly how terrible can something be by trying something new?
2. When you lose, don’t lose
the lesson. When you fail at something, there is still a lesson to be
learned from that failure. But only when you want to truly see why you failed
will you see the lesson to be learned.
3. Follow the three R’s:
- Respect for self, (never stop in
the middle of a race and tie your shoe, pull over!)- Respect for others (never stop in the middle of a race and tie your shoe, pull over!) and
- Responsibility for all your actions. (never stop in the middle of a race and tie your shoe, pull over!)
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. This is one of those truths that it is so true it is annoying. Sometimes when we want something so bad we don't see that while we are fighting for what we want we are pushed towards the direction we needed to go all along.
5. Learn the rules so you know
how to break them properly. Okay this sounds so anti Dalai Lama, but
only can you truly understand the rules can you break the rule with the
knowledge of why you broke the rule.
6. Don’t let a little dispute
injure a great relationship. Acquaintances will come and go in your
life, but you will only have a few true friends. They are the ones that train
with you on the cold days stop every few feet to get a rock out of your shoes,
so if you scuff over where to run, get over it because a good running partner
are hard to come by.
7. When you realize you’ve
made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. When you are
running a race and you accidentally spit or farmer blow on someone quickly say
you’re sorry and move on.
8. Spend some time alone every
day. Run naked once in a while, no music no watch just you your
footsteps, your breath and the road. As a runner it is one of the most natural
and humbling experiences. Everyone else thinks it's stupid.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values. Just because you open your arms, to give a hug to a stranger at the end of your big race, doesn't mean you need to lose your virginity.
10. Remember that silence is
sometimes the best answer. I think I answered this on #9 but try
running naked, it's liberating.
11. Live a good, honorable
life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second
time. Live life to the fullest, work hard for something you want, fight
for yourself, when the time comes and you think you will give up find
"it" within yourself and keep going. When the day comes that you have
to look back on it all you will be glad that you gave it all you had and you
not have any regrets.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Love your dog, cat, turtle or whatever pet you may have, love your kids, love your partner, love your family because a life with someone in it who does not love you or respect is much lonelier then a life alone.
13. In disagreements with
loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past. Just
because your partner did not bring you a cup of tea while you were on the couch
because you can't use your leg muscles after running a marathon don't add
insult to injury by bringing up all the other time he/she failed you. It's
really not fair.
14. Share your knowledge. It
is a way to achieve immortality. Pace a new runner in his/her first
race teach them how to push their limits. Teach them what you know and they
will teach others. The best advice I ever heard was "you can do anything
for 10 minutes" and that has stuck with me.
15. Be gentle with the earth. Don't
leave your GU packs on the ground pick them up. If you feel the need to take a
dump on your training runs, do it in the fields, dirt or woods, don't leave it
in the rocks!
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. Find a new trail to run, hike a new place in the mountains.
18. Judge your success by what
you had to give up in order to get it. When training for a marathon,
you give up free time, sex, watching TV, reading a book, walking normal for
weeks, and all you get is a shirt and a medal. That is success, to me because
not everyone can do that.
19. If you want others to be
happy, practice compassion. When you see other people coming back in
from their run as you are heading out shout out "good job" or "nice
pace" they will nod and smile all runners love to hear good things
about their running.
20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion
Listening and giving complements makes people feel good about them, and by
making others feel good you feel good.
”I run in the snow, rain, wind and heat. I run until I cannot run anymore then I run some more. I run thru the blur of tears, the aches and pains and then I keep going. I have more running clothes than some running stores, I know Fartklet does not mean like it sounds. I go to bed at 9pm; I get up early just to do it all over again. Why do I do this? Because I am a runner and that's who I am"
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