My muscles are screaming. I have a sharp pain in my side. Hundreds of people are cheering… But all I can think of is: 200 meters to go. GO! And I run… and I finish… and my hands raise on their own… I DID IT!

I finished the Amsterdam marathon.

That was yesterday, and today I’m laying in bed – trying to rest and relax, writing this blog post… while every muscle in my body tries to remind me of the journey I took.

The first 25 km or so – I had the time of my life. I enjoyed my body, the run, my pace, the weather, the music in my iPod…

But then it hit me. Or I hit it. The runners wall.
Suddenly I had no energy left. Pains flooded my body and my mind was full of noise.
As I approached the last 5 km – I could only hear my body screams “ENOUGH! It’s time to STOP!”

The only thing I managed to do was keep moving one foot in front of the other, and pushing myself NOT to stop.

I tried to remember why am I doing this? Why I shouldn’t stop now?
I remembered vaguely that I wanted to prove to myself that “I can do it”, that I won’t let my past asthma stop me, that I wanted to inspire my daughter, that I promised so many people… But none of these reasons seemed strong enough when the pain and the tiredness took over.

And when I approached the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam and the voice suddenly shouted in my head “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?”, it became very quiet and I knew, “Because I said so!”

And although every muscle in my body was in pain, and my heartbeat was higher than it ever been – I managed to pick up the pace and finished the last few hundred meters running fast, arms in the air and smiling… I DID IT!

Because I said so.

What a powerful concept.

What if the only reason that really mattered to us, when setting and reaching new goals, would be – “because I said so!”?

• How powerful we’ll become?
• How fulfilling will be our lives?
• How much more could we achieve?

I’m sitting in bed now, my muscles are aching but my spirit is soaring and I think to myself… what next then?
What challenge should I tackle next – to lift me up even further… for no reason… just because “I said so.”

I’d love to hear about the challenges you’re willing to take in the coming year… to stretch yourself… to allow you to fulfill your greatest potential…

Just drop me a line, or a paragraph, or more… in the comments area below…