What is Your Personal Best?

"body">I?) I was a pretty good competitor on the track field.
In order to improve on one's best, bettering yourI enjoyed events like the 880 relays, the 100-yard
best involves recognizing exactly what your "best" isdash, hurdling, and the 240-yard sprint. The track
at any given moment. In my younger days I used tomeet to me was the "fiesta la resistance," in other
run track. It is a great sport that edifies a young manwords they were exciting and always fun especially
in many different ways. The runner on the trackwhen you win! In one particular instance I had to
finds himself preparing to compete. But with whom?compete in a double heat event. These are the
I always thought it was the perfect competitionpreliminary rounds of the race in which the winners
because of the duality of the event or events forcompete in the final race based on the best times.
that matter. While the runner is preparing to competeWell, I was part of the first heat and ran the perfect
with other runners, there's a lot that happens on therace. I had my stride, breath control, stayed in my
way to the finish line. Even the phrase "finish line" islane and set the pace winning that heat! Boy was I
an oversimplification because as the runners competehappy and I felt great...until.
his goal is to beat his personal best time. Now as longThe second heat took off! Those guys were gazelles
as his best time is better than the other runners bestor some other fast animal you can insert here and
time he not only wins the race, he also establishes acreate your own metaphor. Anyway, when the
new launch pad for his next run time. Isn't that great!results came in the last man in the second heat
Even in the group aspect of a competition like a(slowest time and all) came in 2 seconds faster than
track meet the runner is still involved in an individualmy "winning" time in the first heat. I was crushed!
challenge to set and re-set his own pace. Once theAn Important Point
runner knows what his best pace is he then has theWhat's my point? It's that although there was no
challenge to perform at his optimum level. His task ismagical win for me in the second heat, I learned
to not only remember the feel of peak performance;from that experience and practiced harder and
he also has to allow his entire body to re-create theharder to attain a faster pace. Keep pushing; never
actions, rhythm, and pattern of this accomplishment.give up. Always challenge yourself to do a little more
This is how the runner takes ownership of hiseach day. You'd be surprised what turning off the TV
optimum performance level thereby making itfor 60 minutes of self-improvement can do to your
personal. Through his physiology, his psychologicalability to succeed. Master your ability to lead your
view, and his innate talent, the runner can repeat his"heat." Maybe you haven't had the experience of
actions at will and then challenge himself to do better.creating a business success or earning a lot of
I know this to be true, because as a runner I knowmoney. Think back to a time when you made a wise
that one has to own up to your pace and workchoice then acted on it in a positive way. Most
toward improving each step, stride, arm swing, andpeople can do more than they think they can, and
even breathing patterns to apply to a winning trackjust by thinking about it, they'll find greater success.
record. Now stay with me and I'll show you how allOnce you find what you can do better than anyone
of this applies to discovering your personal best.else, keep doing it. You'll not only move from failure
Competing in a Double "Heat"to success, you'll stay ahead!
Before I begin to explain what all of this trackSummary: Replay your victory
analogy has to do with Bettering Your Best and howThink of a time in your own life when you won!! Ask
it can be applied to any area of one's life I'd like toyourself how it felt and replay those sensations in
share this interesting track experience with you.your mind.
When I was in high school (I said very young didn't