“In general, I think everyone’s bars are just a little bit too low, and that we should raise the bar for ourselves,” she says. “We should go after the thing that sounds a little bit crazy or sounds a little bit too difficult and just see, because, why not?” – Ultra-marathoner Courtney Dauwalter
Are you exhausted as a leader? Do you feel like you cannot go on another day? Have you reached the point where you are ready to simply give up and quit? If so, believe it or not, you might just be at the precipice of accomplishing something great in your leadership.
If you do not believe me, I want to introduce you to Courtney Dauwalter.
Courtney Dauwalter
Dauwalter is an Ultra Running Magazine four-time Ultrarunner of the Year. The 38-year-old is simply the best at what she does, maybe the best ever. For the uninitiated, ultra-marathons are races longer than the standard marathon length of 26.2 miles but are generally 100-to-250 miles.
Shortly after her decision to become a full-time competitor, Dauwalter won the 2017 Moab 240 (240 miles) in Utah in an unimaginable 10 hours ahead of all competitors, including both genders.
At the time of this writing, she has a 15-race winning streak. Most recently, Dauwalter won the February 24th 79.5-mile Transgrancanaria in the Canary Islands by 90+ minutes ahead of the runner-up.
In this CNN.com article, Dauwalter discussed the mental and physical challenges of this grueling sport. Without a doubt, she has frequently experienced challenges which pushed Dauwalter to her physical, mental, and emotional limits. From her comments, we learn three things leaders should do when they feel pain, exhaustion, or are thinking about quitting their leadership responsibilities.
Change Your Mindset
Dauwalter uses visualization and creates images in her mind which help her press through the most challenging times on the course. She calls these images “The Pain Cave.”
Dauwalter said, “The Pain Cave is the place I go to in my head when it feels like I physically can’t take another step. I’m a very visual person, so I’ll picture actually grabbing a chisel and entering this cave in my mind, because oftentimes our bodies are wanting to tap out before we’ve actually reached our limits.”
The chisel represents digging deeper into the cave. It reminds her that she can dig even deeper physically and press beyond the pain and exhaustion she is feeling at the time.
Dauwalter said, “If we can just stay strong in our heads and change our mindset to something useful and positive, we can usually achieve way more than what we initially thought.”
Learn New Skills
It may sound counterintuitive, but when you feel pain, exhaustion, and like quitting, it is time to go on the offensive. Passivity is not your friend during these moments.
Dauwalter said, “There’s a lot to learn about what people are capable of in this sport – and specifically a lot to learn about what people are capable of in those races that are 200-plus miles.”
What was Dauwalter learning? She goes on, “Endurance and strength are factors in running a race, but suddenly in the mix you’ve got the ability to problem solve, mental strength, like, stubbornness is a factor in there or the ability to stay awake.”
You may not realize it, but you are developing endurance, resilience, perseverance, grit, patience, and steadfastness. These skills will serve you well long after you get through the current challenge(s) you are facing.
Dauwalter notes, “All these other skills that have nothing to do with muscle size and are skills that really anyone could develop or be naturally good at.”
Take Risks
Finally, do not set your bar of expectation low. Have higher expectations of yourself and those you lead.
Dauwalter concludes, “In general, I think everyone’s bars are just a little bit too low, and that we should raise the bar for ourselves. We should go after the thing that sounds a little bit crazy or sounds a little bit too difficult and just see, because, why not?”
In the previous point, I said you should go on the offensive during difficult times. Why not take some risks and go after something crazy? That is what Dauwalter did and she became the best at what she does. What about you?
Conclusion
So if you are feeling pain, exhaustion, and an urge to quit your leadership responsibilities, change your mindset, learn new skills, and take risks. If you do these things, you will discover you can accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
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