In January of last year, I set a personal fitness goal which I believed was impossible. The goal would not break any world records nor come close to doing so, yet I had no idea how I would accomplish it. The goal was to run 15 kilometres without pain and without a knee brace. I’ve run this distance many times but that was more than 20 years ago. When I set the goal, my typical run was about 5k and occasionally I tried to extend it to 7k. I say “try” because for whatever reason, I usually felt like I hit a wall after about 4 or 5 kilometres—feeling totally depleted as if I had bricks chained to my ankles—I would fizzle out and stop like a car running out of gas. On top of this, for 4 years I wore a brace to support my knee and prevent the debilitating pain from my IT band. So 3 big obstacles—knee brace, no energy and 3 times the distance I typically run—I was going on faith.
By the end of April, I went from faith to belief ! Three significant events transformed my belief in hitting my goal.
My doctor tested me and discovered I had a B12 deficiency which miraculously fixed the problem of running out of energy.
I forgot to wear my brace on a run and only realized this at the end of my run—and there was no knee pain—nothing ! Four years of wearing the support brace (and stretching) miraculously fixed the IT band problem.
I told people I trust about my goal which miraculously, gave me an incredible dose of accountability and motivation—and I found myself running 3-4 times per week every week.
Then on a beautiful, mild sunny winter day in the last week of December, I ran 15km non-stop, pain-free, without a brace. This was a great personal achievement to celebrate but the bigger celebration comes with 3 important lessons learned regarding physical health:
See your doctor regularly and be proactive with your health
Avoid the temptation to go it alone, suck it up and put your nose to the grindstone—instead find supports whether it’s a person(s), a routine, or a device
Tell others about your goals—this is not bragging. This creates a powerful accountability mechanism which is highly motivating especially when things go awry.
How does this relate to gratitude or grateful leadership ? Well, we know grateful people are more likely to achieve important life goals and this was an important life goal for me last year. We also know that grateful people live longer. While we don’t fully understand the cause-effect relationship between gratitude and goal achievement and longevity, we know grateful people double down when they fall short and they see themselves and their successes as highly interconnected with others.
While some might say I’m just conveniently navigating via the rear-view mirror, I believe my gratitude practice enabled these two gratitude perspectives (doubling down & interconnecting with others) to guide me—it was an invisible force I had no idea was influencing my daily actions.
I guess we have one more learning—strengthen your gratitude practice !
Most meetings have someone running the agenda. Far fewer have someone hosting the conversation - and people feel the difference.
At a recent Salon Dinner, I sat with 10 people, some lifelong friends and some total strangers, and watched a thoughtful host turn a big topic like AI into an evening everyone wanted to repeat. The 18th-century salons did the same thing: they brought together people who normally wouldn't mix, and let ideas, not rank, carry the room.
For executives and event producers, the lesson is practical. Before your next meeting, decide who is hosting the conversation, not just who is running the agenda.
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