“Nobody cares,” the answer I received from Flea when I asked him the most significant takeaway on his journey from his hunting accident to his success on the U.S. Track and Field Paralympic team; he is ranked 2nd in the 100s and 3rd in the 200s.
As someone who LOVES people and believes in relationships, I HATED his answer!
He continued, “no one really cares if I do my workouts. No one cares that I work 12 hours a day on the ranch. No one cares that I am not a sponsored athlete and could have many excuses as to why I do not get in my workouts. No one cares how I rank at the Paralympic trials in June. If I do not show up ready to compete, no one cares. I need to care enough about my goals and my dreams to show up, and it is only me who can control what I do and what success I achieve”
Our conversation continued. Flea said, “I am always going to outwork everyone, and in the end, only I can make my dreams a reality. Shelli, you can be at my workout, like today, encourage me, and praise me. But tomorrow, after your gone, it is up to me to get back to work. It’s not up to you or anyone else to wake me up and check in on me and praise me. Each day I miss a workout, is one more day I fall behind my biggest competitor.”
Our conversation kept me up for the last three nights. Thinking about everything Flea said and how often we look to others’ praise and approval to motivate us. If my goals are not big enough to move me, they are not worth having. In the end, if I do not deem myself significant to work hard every day, why would anyone else want to come alongside me and support me?
I will be writing more about Flea in the coming months. Sharing more of his journey from a hunting accident to his sobriety and now competing on the largest stage for paralympic athletes.
I URGE you to listen to his story. Be ready to be encouraged that you can overcome whatever you are facing. However, be prepared to be challenged to stop being weak-minded and know that you may be the only one who cares what dreams you reach. But that, my friend, is more than enough!