You know what a Sumo wrestler looks like right? Huge man, tiny shorts. I’m in a smoky café with my friend Steve who looks exactly like a sumo-wrestler, I’m not exaggerating, except he’s fully dressed.
‘I was excited to tell Steve, my idea. Steve I signed up for a 42 km marathon!’
‘Oudi a marathon wow! That’s the stupidest idea ever.
Do you know someone who’s great at slamming your ideas? Steve has a PhD in idea slamming.
Steve continued, ‘Oudi, you don’t have what it takes to even SEE the finish line.’
I started doubting myself. I was left questioning what exactly I’m made of, what exactly I am capable of. So, I ran, early, almost every morning, for an entire year. I watched my diet and I watched everyone else enjoy theirs. Next thing I know I’m at start-line determined. By midrace I was feeling good, real good. Then I started slowing down a little, then I started slowing down a lot. I became dizzy, so dizzy that I couldn’t hold my head up any longer. Have you ever stopped believing in yourself?
I was so close, just minutes from the finish line, it was as if I hit a brick wall and collapsed.
This was the deciding moment, get up or give up, yet all I kept hearing were Steve’s words, all I kept thinking was; why is this happening, why me, why now?
But Steve was dead wrong I did see that finish line, from inside of an ambulance.
For weeks after my flashy finish, I was stuck in routine. A routine you might recognize; work, eat, and sleep.
One night I received a text from my fiancé Rasha; ‘Why not try again, love ya’.
Rasha got me thinking. I thought to myself; ‘wait, you don’t have what is could be material for the greatest motivational question ever; why not prove me wrong. Why not prove Steve wrong?’
So, I did try again, and finally, just finally I crossed that finish line and p-r-o-v-e-d that I have what it takes. Till today this moment stands as one of my greatest memories, one of my most inspired results. It was my fiancés why not question, that got me to the start line again. But the why not question inspired by Steve, was my big push to the finish.
What wall is standing between you and your finish line? What questions are you asking yourself?
I learned the hard way, I learned the long way, that the wrong questions add bricks to your wall, but better questions use these bricks to pave your next steps. Better questions don’t ask why me, why now and why is Steve such a pain in the, you know what. Better questions ask why not? Why not try again? Why not turn the bricks in your wall into your walkway, your pathway your runway? Why not shut Steve up? Why not breakthrough to the new you? Finish what you started and seal the deal? Why not? Why not you? Why not now?
Maybe the walls standing in the way of your most inspired results are asking you, daring you, challenging you; WHY NOT PROVE ME WRONG. The Steve’s in this world will always be armed and ready to throw sumo sized bricks at you. When that happens, catch’m, not Steve, he’s just way too big, catch the bricks and use’m to pave your next steps. And when someone says, “you don’t have what it takes,” to get the inspired results you’re after.
Don’t ask yourself, ‘why?’ just ask ‘why not?’