How One Cup of Coffee Changed My Life.

I met Christian Jensen because he was the instructor for my mom’s spin class. If you know my Mom, you know that she is a very social person. She of course got to know Christian and urged me to meet him.

We set a date to meet for coffee.

This was one decision that changed my life forever.

Have you ever met someone and the instant you meet them, you realize that you want this person in your life? They seem to just attract people to them and they make you want to spend time with them. This was how it was for me, when I met Christian. I had no idea what it was but I knew he was going places and I wanted to help him get there.

It is because of Christian and my Mom that I was introduced to myTEAM TRIUMPH (mTT), an organization that helps athletes of all abilities compete in endurance events.

It is because of them that I have completed not just one but two full distance triathlons and numerous ultramarathons. While these accomplishments are great, here are the greater things it taught me:

1) Life does not revolve around me. I think about “what is in it for me” a lot. mTT helped me become better at for a lack of a better term “Get over myself.” They helped me see that I live more when I focus on helping other people. I do not lose anything when I help someone, I gain more.

2) It has shown me how amazing the human spirit really is. The organization is full of amazing people that are inspiring simply by being themselves.

3) Never limit myself. If I want to do something I should go do it. It will take work, sacrifice and determination but it will be worth it.

4) We are all in it together. We can cheer one another on while still wanting to do our best. We need to spend more time with people different than us and learn from them.

I have met many amazing people because of one cup of coffee. One of them is Jacob Vandenberg. Jacobs is one of the funniest people you will ever meet, he is always making people laugh. He is always looking for an adventure and to help others have fun. Jacob is one of the sassiest people you will ever meet (in a good way), coming from me that says a lot. If you have ever met Jacob, one of the first things you will notice is his love for helping others. He will help anyone and expect nothing in return. He does not need to be asked, he just does it. Jacob unlike many of us, including myself, gets life. He understands that life is about helping other people and not expecting praise for it. Jacob loves to have friends because of how they make him feel and how he makes them feel, loved.

One cup of coffee taught me one of the greatest lessons in my life. We must see all people as fundamentally human before anything else. We must be able to look them in the eye and see that we are all the same and that we all can help one another. No one is better than anyone. We can all add value to one another.

We hold ourselves back from greatness and from opportunities that will change our life because we see it just as a cup of coffee instead of an opportunity that could change our life. Stop waiting for the meteor to hit and work with the pebble God gave you.

You can learn more about mTT here.

I am running 100 miles with my friends Aaron and Katie, to raise money for mTT, you can donate here.

How to Become an Inspiration

I know a lot of inspiring people in my life. They range from friend who ran 20 marathons in 20 days to one that recently became an author and one that has completed an Ironman all while pushing and pulling someone that would otherwise not physically be able to complete the event and these are just a few of my friends there are many more. You listen to them talk and you cannot help but be inspired by their stories and their moments of glory. It is amazing to see success happen to those that truly deserve it which is the problem. There is no problem with them being successful but with how we process how they got there. When we think of inspiration we just see the highlights, we see the good parts and that is the problem we rarely hear about the struggle that made this inspiration possible.

All of my inspiring friends that I have mentioned had a struggle that they had to go through to become inspiring. The struggles that they went through are not inspiring but in fact to most people they are uninspiring and depressing.

My friend that ran 20 marathons in 20 days gave up hours of sleep, trained for hours suffered from injuries and felt pain in most of the runs.

My friend that wrote the book spent hours of time writing it, investing time in himself to learn how to become the best writer that he could. He invested in his book promoting it and getting it off the ground. He dealt with rejection but kept going.

My other friend that completed two Ironmans pushing and pulling someone gave up hours of training, his time and having an easier way to compete.

This is what makes inspiration. Inspiration is created by when we choose to be boulder in our lives and not let who we currently are define, who we will always be. We get trapped in the belief that the journey is going to be this glorious ride when really you are down in the trenches wondering if you will ever get out and if you should just give up. This is my first problem with inspiration and motivation, it can become an excuse

When we wait for moments of inspiration to get us started and to keep us going, we put our future in the hands of the unknown; we completely give up all of our drive and passion. You are never going to know everything that will happen in your life. There will be ups and downs and sometimes life will punch you right in the gut, you just need to give it your all. We limit ourselves to only a fraction of the impact that we could have if we just decided we wanted it. This is my second issue with inspiration, people say they want it but are not open to it.

We fail to realize that inspiration only work for those that are open to it. We try so hard to motivate and inspire those that do not want to do anything and then we blame ourselves when they stay the same. Think of it like a parachute, you can tell someone all you want how to use it, what needs to be done and when to use it but unless they want to use it, you cannot help them from plummeting towards the earth. If you want to stop plummeting towards the earth, here is a tip. Inspiration is a mindset not a feeling.

If you want to be successful stop waiting for inspiration and start focusing on your mindset. It is a balance between believing that the best is yet to come, knowing you are strong enough but being aware it is going to be a struggle. The fact of the matter is, you do not need inspiration to help you be successful, it helps but you do not need it. So

Anyone can be inspiring but most people do not want to take the leap to become inspiring. We become too comfortable with the world that we live in not wanting to become hurt or vulnerable when that is all that is really needed. Inspiration takes work and it takes time but most of all it takes a commitment to not being afraid to be bolder. Ordinary and easy lives do not make for inspiration. Hardships and pain are what create inspiration. Inspiration takes hard work, long nights and it is a struggle. We forget to focus on telling the story that lead to the inspiration

There is something that you need to know.

As I turned 29 I was flooded with birthday love and one message that kept coming across was that I was a source of inspiration for many people, while I appreciate the kind words, I think many times it is lost on people that I am no different than all the rest of the world. I am just one person who decided to take some chances, have some fun and live outside of my comfort zone.

Why I bring this up is that overall I see an issue and a mental barrier to those that we look to for inspiration. The problems is that we see those people at a different level than us, we see all the great things that they are doing and how “perfect” of a life they lead. When we start to see them in that light, we lose faith that we too can be that great and that we can be just as inspiring. We lose faith because we start to think of all the times we have failed and all of the “flaws” we have, so I want to share my story.

Here is the truth. I am stubborn, rude, mean and at times arrogant. I have failed more times than I can count. I am at times afraid, negative and dislike the world. I struggle and my life and my choices are nowhere near perfect. In fact many times in my life, I have had no idea where I was headed or what I would be doing. Far too often I let my anger run my how I think, feel and act. I am at times very unworthy of all the praise and compliments I receive. This is not me feeling bad about myself, it is just the truth.

We look at everything that is wrong with us and we see them as barriers to us being successful. We see them as things we need to hide, dirty little secrets that we cannot share, because who could possibly be worse than us? The voice inside our head, tells us that if we tell anyone these secrets we will become a fraud and unloved.

The truth is it is because of these things not in spite of them that our story can become so great, so powerful and so inspiring. These are the characteristics that we must overcome to become the best version of ourselves. It would be absurdly easy to live a perfect life, where nothing went wrong and you always got your way but it would be an uninspiring one. There would be no story, there would be no hope and there would be no greatness within you.

To me it seems that many times when we talk about accepting ourselves and loving ourselves, we only choose to love and accept the good parts. While I know everyone has an amazing gift and should celebrate how great they are, this type of thinking is flawed. It is flawed because it makes us hide and not love who we really are, with this thinking we only love ourselves when we are perfect and yet we never are.

The choice to embrace and accept our flaws is when we are truly set free, it is then and only then that we can deal with these issues and work on them. If we constantly ignore them, they will not go away but they will become bigger and bigger and take more control over your life.

I want everyone to realize how great they already are and that they need to share it with the world. It is easy for us to talk about all the good times but what really shapes us and creates us for who we are today is the times that we have struggled and where we fell short. We need to start talking about these times more often. We should stop being afraid to admit that we are not perfect, that we struggle and that we are normal with extraordinary gifts.  When we choose to no longer be afraid that is when we truly can be inspiring and embrace how great we truly are.

Why I stopped running for myself

When I tell people about some of the endurance events, they begin to tell me how they could never do that, how hard it must be, how much time I must have had to give up to get there and then there are times where they tell me that they are not strong enough to do what I do. I want to grab them and look them in the eyes and tell them the truth, they are and you are.

What you have to know is the truth. I am not all that strong, I get frustrated, I get pissed off, I lose my way, I get off track and there are times when I just give up. I have lost faith in myself to believe that I could accomplish what I have set out to do. The truth is, I am weak, I am vulnerable and I fall short a lot more than most of you will know. Now there is another thing that you need to know, none of this really matters because of the people I run for. It is because of them that I can endure the pain, training and frustration that goes into accomplishing my goals.

I tell you these things not because I want your sympathy or because I do not like myself but because you all need to know this. That if I can do such "crazy" things you can as well. There is nothing that makes me greater than anyone else.

Here are just a few of my many highlights of what I can do with the power of other people.

I did a 50 mile road race in Door County, WI. I ran for a young man named Bo Johnson who I never had the pleasure of meeting and yet he was with me the whole time. Bo passed away from Cancer at the age of 13 which was not enough time for the world but enough time for Bo to impact the world. In his final days instead of giving up on life, he gave life everything. He inspired thousands of people to act in kindness and be a bright light even at the world's darkest moments. I continue to run for not only him but his mother Annika as well. Cancer took the most precious thing away from her that anyone could ever imagine, her son. Many people would become bitter, angry, mad and start to hate the world and then there is Annika. A women that chose to continue Bo's legacy of going out and making the world a better place and inspiring and acting with kindness. She is in the corner of anyone that has battled cancer or is battling cancer. She is overjoyed when she hears about people overcoming cancer. I know that as much as Bo has taught her and has inspired her, she did the same for Bo and always had this passion in her.

In 2014 I completed Ironman Wisconsin with two of my best friends, Aaron Hunnel and Katie Neuman. Katie has CP so Aaron and I were lucky enough to be able to be her arms and legs that day. When I tell people this, their response usually is a compliment about how selfless I am, and while I appreciate it, it needs to be known that it was not as selfless as it seems. Katie had just as much to do with crossing the finish line that day as Aaron and I did. Katie kept Aaron and I going the whole time, in fact she did such an amazing job that the whole day was an amazing adventure. That day we swam, biked and ran not only for Katie who is amazing, inspiring, relentless and positive beyond measure but for everyone to provide hope. Katie is bound to a wheel chair pretty much every second of her life. She is not there because of some choice that she made or that her parents made but just because of bad luck and yet Katie is one of the happiest and positive people you will ever meet. She gets life and what it really means to live.

Later in 2014 I ran an indoor 12 hour treadmill run to help raise money for pediatric cancer research and to provide scholarships for pediatric cancer patients. To most runners, including myself the treadmill is not our best friend. Telling people about this event, many of them said they would never even think about doing that and yet when I put it into perspective of the kids and families we ran for, it really is not that bad. On that run I thought a lot about what it would be like to know that your child is battling cancer and how heartbreaking that would be. To know that no matter how much you try and how hard you fight the odds are not in your favor. I thought about the kids who never asked to sign up for a disease that is trying to kill them. The fact that many of them are not even in high school and most people's definition of their age, they would have no understanding of what life is really about and yet they do. They understand life more than 99% of this world ever will. They live when they are being told to die.

As I tell people about my future plans, I once again am given support and at the same time I am asked the question of "Why would you ever want to do that" or the statement of "That sounds like it would suck." What I want you all to know is that why it may suck it is one million times easier and better than everything that the people I run for have to deal with. The pain I feel is temporary and the pain of the people I run for never really goes away and yet they live and inspire people beyond measure.

If you want to be inspired, stop running for yourself and start running for someone else. This applies to life just like it does running, stop living for yourself and start living for something greater, If for no other reason than the simple fact that if you do everything for yourself, your legacy dies when you do but even if you spend one minute investing in something greater than yourself, you live forever.

Embrace the spirit of a marathon

I recently had the great opportunity and privilege of being able to run in the Cellcom Green bay marathon. It was amazing for a number of reasons. First and foremost I had the ability to run, others cannot. Second I was able to work with an amazing organization called myTEAM TRIUMPH. They help challenged athletes compete in endurance races by having Angels push them in buggies. Third the atmosphere and spirit of a marathon is amazing.

I have the ability to run, it is a gift. A gift that far too often many of us see as a burden, “I have to run today”, “I need to train today”, “I need to run x miles today”; yet we forget that there are people in this world who cannot even walk. They can barely move themselves. In my book the ability to run is truly a privilege. The speed you go at, does not matter, the distance does not matter, just be happy you can run.

myTEAM TRIUMPH is an organization that is dedicated to helping challenged athletes compete in endurance events. The challenged athletes are called captains; they are the ones in the race, the ones who get the shirts, medal and whose name is behind the time. They are the inspiration   behind every step we take. Angels are the ones who push or pull the captains. It is an honor, privilege and pure motivation to be able to be an angel. I an inspired constantly by the passion, greatness and love these captains live there life with everyday. Thank you to everyone who cheered us one. Thank you for your inspiration and the ability with a phrase to power us through the run. I had the privilege of running with a father who was pushing his daughter the whole way. The words, signs and smiles meant more to us than you can ever know.

Embrace the spirit of a marathon, it is truly amazing. Runners, your dedication to training proves that if you believe, you can do pretty much anything. Getting up for at 7am for a 20 mile run then getting on with your day is fantastic. The sport is addicting and even though running seems like it is a solo sport, we are all in it together. The power and awe of a marathon goes beyond the runners. To the trainers, staff and volunteers who dedicated their time just to ensure we would be okay, thank you. We could not compete without you. Last but not least, lets not forget the fans along the course who cheered us on. Many of them had no one to specific to cheer for, but they choose to stand out in the heat just to cheer random strangers on. They made signs, turned on their hose and handed out water just to see a total stranger succeed in a dream.

What if we lived everyday like that? What if we invested our time, energy and passion into helping people succeed, with nothing but the satisfaction of knowing we helped them succeed. In my opinion, life is not about us, it is about everyone else. How can we live each day to provide inspiration, motivation and dedication that helps people achieve their dreams?