Dreams don’t define us, they create us, so dream big. Make your castles reach the sky, and you will never be disappointed, because, as Henry David Thoreau said, “if you have built castles in the air, you work need not be lost.”
Big dreamers must be willing to take action. We must be willing to put foundations underneath the clouds, but, like any building, foundations take time, so be patient with your work. Every opportunity that life brings your way is an opportunity to work on your foundation.
This morning I am building my inner foundation of confidence. As I prepare to race a half-ironman triathlon (70.3 miles) today, it is a day more about foundations than dreams. It is a day in the trenches. It is a day of patience as I trust my body to stay relaxed, on-call, and on-point under pressure in race that really has no pressure aside from misperceived external queues. It is not a glory race, not a big race, not an important race, yet still demands the same effort that such a race would. Like life, building the foundation for racing and putting in the ground work takes time, repetition, patience and persistence.
Today I am practicing patience, when it matters the most – during a race. Today I am practicing staying within myself, as I will resist the temptation to compare myself to others that I may be passing, or that may be passing me. Today I am constructing part of my foundation. It won’t be complete by the end of the day, but there will be progress. Join me and build strength in your foundation today alongside me. Take some time and commit yourself to the building of the inner foundation that will ultimately support your castle in the sky.