There is always a point on my morning run when my legs start trembling, and I start doubting I’d complete the workout. But every day without fail, I push through the fatigue and finish strong. My secret is to tap into the energy of other runners passing by me, to remind myself that I love running, and to think back on all the other runs I’ve completed. When working towards any goal, you are likely to feel mental and physical fatigue at some point. At these times, dig deep and just keep on pushing forward a little bit longer. You will soon see you can pick up the pace again. This is when you tap into your second wind. Second wind is that rush of energy when you are in the groove and feel confident becoming The Little Engine that Could. You’ve risen above the storm, and now you see far ahead into the distance. You know there’s further to go, but there’s the excitement and inspiration of the destinations within sight. As you get that sudden burst of energy, your second wind, ask yourself what is one thing you can do better, now that the hardest part is behind you, in order to achieve new levels of performance.
Our body self-preservation management system often puts the breaks on continuing to exert effort in order to avoid fatigue and injury. It means that we are programed to stop when there’s still enough in the tank to keep on going. Conserving energy is an evolutionary survival mechanism of our species. We are designed to have the brain deny us access to the well-guarded reserves of strength. Fortunately, you can create a system override. Second wind is the sneaky way to tap into these hidden wells of vigor and power. Riding the burst of renewed energy allows humans to create new levels of achievement.
To do that, you first must call out the brain on this false information. When you feel ready to cease efforts advise the brain it is wrong. Use positive self-talk to remind yourself that you have more to give within you. By acknowledging the situation, you can then create the space to dig deeper both physically and mentally.
The following three tactics can activate your second wind to continue to propel yourself forward:
1. Pick Your People
Belonging to a social group is a strong driving force behind choices and motivation. The people with whom you surround yourself have a huge influence on your behavior. Some would say that you become the people you surround yourself with. Choose the right people to be in your life. When you keep company with positive people, you are more likely to adopt empowering beliefs to help you reach your goals with ease and enjoy the ride. While there are certainly great benefits to flying solo and doing things alone, being part of a group provides motivation, support, and accountability. Other people can buoy you up when your spirits are down. Healthy competition can be a positive incentive. Look at the way some fitness programs use climbing a leaderboard as powerful motivation. Harnessing the energy of the group will help you recharge your energy to do just a little more to achieve better results.
2. Declare Deadlines
When it comes to goal-achievement, deadlines are an essential driver. It is the “T” of SMART Goals being timely, or time-bound. Having a target date defines a specific output to work toward to focus the attention, work and efforts. Due dates keep the coal burning and the engine running. But deadlines can be stressful (even the word itself sounds ominous: DEADLINE) if not managed strategically and effectively. When setting realistic achievement time frames, they can be an extremely useful tool to keep you on task. They can motivate you to do the things you may not want to do but are necessary to get done in order to meet your commitments to yourself and others. Any time you make your commitment public, putting yourself on the line, you increase the likelihood of following through on what you said you’d do. Shift perception as needed to neutralize the evil twins getting in the way: Procrastination and Perfectionism. Understand the root cause of why you may be putting of a task, get in touch with the value of why you are pursuing the goal, and replace “perfect” with “good enough” to meet your deadline.
3. Reflect to Realign
The previous two tactics are external motivators. Having clarity is an important internal motivator. Ours is a fast-moving world with hyper focus on productivity, immediate action, and quick wins. When we are constantly under pressure to think and react quickly, the default mode of operation is reaction rather than reflection. Undoubtedly speed matters. Yet, reflection is vital to personal and professional growth. It is a powerful tool in your success toolkit. We don’t learn from the past; we learn from reflecting on our experience. True learning occurs when you step back to reevaluate what you have done and what you need to change and adjust. Those insights open the gates of wisdom to build on previous knowledge and avoid repeating mistakes. Align your future actions with the values and lessons learned to maximize your possibilities as you accelerate your journey to the destination ahead. Pause to reflect more to learn faster and reach higher levels of performance.
It is exciting to start a new project and set new goals. But through the process of doing the work and dealing with some setbacks, fatigue may set in. Many people interpret it as a sign to quit, when it may actually be a critical point to dig deep and press onward. The surprising thing is that when we do, the fatigue passes away, and in its place, there are new amounts of energy and power. Remember that you are capable of more than you know, and there is so much more untapped potential within you.
