Life lessons from triathlon: commitment

I’m beginning a new series here on the blog: Metaphors For Life in Triathlon. Triathlon has taught me many life lessons, and while I don’t think I’ll be able to compete too much in the near future*, I’ll definitely take things from it that’ll last the rest of my life.

*(For a very simple reason: Money. The only triathlon I know I’m doing next is Wrightsville Beach in September and possibly the Beach2Battleship Half in November. Gotta make sacrifices in life, right?)

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Life success demands commitment. That is, to get anywhere or achieve anything, one must establish a goal and then remain dedicated to seeing through the tasks required to accomplish that goal. Sometimes this becomes painful. Sometimes it inconveniences. But since when has anything great ever been accomplished without effort?

I can’t begin to tell you ohw many times I wanted to remain in bed instead of going to run or swim or bike at 5:30, 6:00 in the morning. And now that I’m no longer paid to write about the experience, I still stay in bed some, if not most, mornings. I work out later in the day, but only some days, not every day. I’ve completed two sprint triathlons. I have in mind completing a half-Ironman in November. If I want to accomplish that, I’ll have to become consistent in my training again.

Becoming a successful triathlete demands that consistency, that commitment. And by successful, I mean, finishing a race.*

*(Side note: success does not always equal winning. More on that in a future post.)

Likewise, I have a similar goal: publishing a book. It has demanded literary and journalistic endurance and fortitude exponentially greater than has ever been required of me in my fledgling career. I’m less than a year – well, right at a year – out of college. At times, it overwhelms me, the goal towards which I work. As many of you know, I’m publishing the book independently*, which demands not only the time in drafting and writing the book, but time in designing it, in typesetting it, and perhaps most daunting of all the task of financing it. That terrifies me sometimes.

*(Also another post for the future.)

In triathlon, I was often overwhelmed by the strain of training. The physical demands of races often frightened me.

And yet I pressed on, as I now press on with this book. I must, because I know this book is something I am meant to write—the story contained therein is one meant to be shared with people. And perhaps, one day, shared with many people. For as I inspired and motivated people to train, to push themselves, through my four-month-long column series, I believe this book can inspire and motivate people in new and greater ways.

Commitment demands something that lasts longer than a moment or an idea. It demands something beyond initial inspiration, and finding the guts to grind through the “blah” times in the process is nearly impossible at times.

It’s intriguing to examine the etymology of the word. It originates from the word committen, which meant “given charge, trust” and was borrowed from the Latin word committere, which means “put together, join.”

Given charge. That’s what stands out, doesn’t it? To commit to something is to take charge of it. When we relinquish our grasp—when we slack off, thus breaking our commitment—we lose control. Then, what often happens? We must expend so much energy regaining control and wrestling things back on track that, when we finally are on the right course again, we are too tired to continue, and our grasp once again loosens.

The point is probably obvious, but I’ll state it anyway: stay firm in your commitments. It’s not only worth the struggle, but prevents an even more problems from occurring later.