"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

This is one of those sayings that sounds like deep wisdom and is actually utter BS. It suggests that you will be a leader if you have skills and talents that give you an advantage over the crowd. But the real world doesn't work that way. What is the truth? Listen to find out.

What do ultramarathon runners have in common with the monastic orders of Christian and other religions? Quite a bit, in fact. Miriam Diaz-Gilbert is an ultramarathon runner and a student of spiritual disciplines. Running an ultramarathon and ascetic practices include both solitude, physical stress, and contemplation. Miriam is also a published author, a speaker, and adventurer.

A quote from one of my running friends: “50 miles is too short. The race doesn’t really get interesting until you’ve gone 60 miles.” She is right! And when you run a 100 mile race, the halfway mark isn't 50 miles. You aren't halfway until you hit 73 miles!

You can't outperform your self-image!

Andrew Gardner is a mental performance scholar and coach. He is also a clinical neuropsychologist, studying ways to help athletes who have suffered concussions or are involved in "collision sports." He is an ultrarunner and uses the mindset tools he teaches for performance in his own training and practice. He is presently training to travel to Boston to run this year's Boston Marathon.

As a man thinketh, so is he.

You've heard it from motivational speakers. You've heard it from self-help gurus. You've heard it from mindset coaches! There's even a whole book with this as a title. It's a quote (actually a misquote) from the Bible--Proverbs 23:7. 

Those who quote this from the Bible often leave out 3 important words that take it from being a true statement to one that's not completely false, but not completely true either. 

Jacob Deeter took the opportunity of a busy schedule of classes and clinical rotations across the US to set a goal for hiking and backpacking 500 miles during his final year of school. His travels took him from the Rocky Mountains to Yosemite and the Appalachian Trail, ending up with a rim to rim in the Grand Canyon. And, for good measure, he took up climbing as well.  

The words you use have power to shape your mindset. Your mindset is the story you tell yourself about yourself. You can tell your story so you are the hero, or you can tell a story that makes you the victim. 

All the words you use when you tell your mindset story have power. But some have exceptional power. This episode of the Monday Morning Mindset covers 2 of these power words as well as a bonus word. 

Imagine going from a backpacking boot camp, to running a marathon, to a 40 mile hike, to your first 100 miler all in a matter of a few months!  Dave Daniel was looking for his limits, and he found it at the Georgia Jewel 100 miler. He didn't finish, but he found his limit and began to work and train to find out how far he could move that boundary. He has the mindset to keep moving forward. His stories and success and failure will inspire you! 

 Quick question . . . Are you asking good enough questions? You may not yet be aware of this, but-
The quality of your life is a direct reflections of the kind of questions you ask yourself. If you want to have a better life, you need to learn how to ask better questions. This Monday I cover 4 types of questions. Two are unhelpful. Two are helpful, if you use them right. They are: When? How? Why? What?

Will you listen today?

When she was 19, Pam Chapman-Markle was told cancer would take her life within 6 months. She beat cancer. Whatever came her way in life, she chose to take circumstance and make the outcome conform to her will. When she discovered ultramarthon running, she already had the mindset to keep going, no matter what. She's run some of the world's toughest ultramarathons and isn't finished yet.