The second wind
Mar 12, 2021
We have been discussing that while we gain energy by taking action, the pull back to the old way of doing things can be very strong.
And this can be quite discouraging.
We may feel like we have run out of steam. Have no more effort left within ourselves.
But have you heard of the second wind?
The Second wind is a phenomenon in distance running, such as marathons or road running (as well as other sports), whereby an athlete who is out of breath and too tired to continue suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion.
In other words there will be times when we are tired, we think we are done, that we have tried everything, given our best, and think that we have no more to give. This is NOT the time to quit on important matters.
If we focus on putting one foot in front of the other, to keep going, we are very likely to experience a "second wind" – reserves of energy and motivation that we did not know that we possessed.
William James puts it nicely: "Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you."
