5 MONTHS AGO • 3 MIN READ

The Marathon of Life: Becoming the Person Who Achieves

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This newsletter is for people who are not perfect. If you are still figuring out, seeking growth and want to know the game of life a little bit better - this is for you. New issue each Tuesday! Don't miss out.

Lately, I haven't been up to my game when it comes to physical activity.

And it’s been bothering me. A lot.

Because I’ve always been the type to enjoy movement. I never had to force it - I liked it. But now? After all the changes, adjusting to new things, shifting priorities…

For the first time in my life, my mind refused to exercise.

And I felt it. I mean, really felt it.

It started to bleed into everything.

The energy wasn’t there. My focus? Completely off. My brain felt like it was running in the background, full of static noise - thinking a lot but never actually thinking anything through.

And then it hit me.

I finally figured out why it was so hard to keep up with fitness.

I had no goal. No challenge pulling me forward. No reason to push myself.

I had built up my core, gained weight and strength, improved my endurance - but now? There was nothing driving me. Nothing keeping me accountable.

And that’s a dangerous place to be.

Not just physically, but in life.

So I started thinking back to a time when my mindset was on point. A time when I felt sharp, focused, and fully engaged - not just physically, but mentally.

And I realized - it was exactly one year ago.

One year ago, I was in my first week of marathon training.

Even though this year I have one less week, I thought, f*ck it, I should do it again.

Not because I want to. Honestly? I really don’t. I remember how hard it was. The early mornings. The sore legs. The long runs that felt like they’d never end.

But I also remember what it gave me.

All those hours spent running - just me, my breath, and my thoughts. Sorting things out. Meditating without even trying.

The rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement, my heartbeat in sync with my movement - a kind of moving stillness.

It sharpened me. It gave me structure, discipline, clarity. And that’s exactly what I’ve been missing.

The best part? Accountability.

You sign up, and suddenly, you have a reason. You have to train. You have to follow a plan. There’s no more debating with yourself. It’s in your calendar, it’s on your mind, and now - it’s real.

And the best part about it? You really know what you have to do. You have a roadmap. If you do it - you will cross the finish line; if you don’t - you won’t.

And that is the most exciting part about it. Just feeling good about checking off the bits on the roadmap. This gave me huge confidence.

And that’s exactly how life works.

You don’t just wake up motivated every day. You don’t just stumble into discipline. You commit, you set a goal, and you make it real.

Marathon training is life in a nutshell.

You start off excited. Then it gets hard. Then you don’t want to show up. But you do it anyway. You push through the moments when you’d rather quit. And somewhere along the way, you realize - this isn’t just about running.

It’s about learning to keep promises to yourself.

It’s about proving, day after day, that you can do hard things.

And eventually, when you cross that finish line - exhausted but exhilarated - you realize…

This was never about the race.

It was about who you became in the process.

And this is what I am looking for right now.

Switching up my mindset on the perception of goals - my secondary goal is to finish the race, but my main goal is to become the person who is capable of finishing the race.

That is my main message for today. Seek out activities that will make you become the person who can achieve the goals, rather than focusing solely on the goal itself.

Once you’ve accomplished the goal, it’s gone - but the person you’ve become to reach it will stay, as long as you maintain it.

And I’m not saying everyone reading this should sign up for a marathon. That’s not the point.

But I do believe that everyone should have a physical goal - something that challenges them, something that pushes past their previous limits.

Because it’s not just about fitness. It’s about setting a goal, building a roadmap, and following through.

I want you to really think with yourself - do you have a goal? If you do, great.

But what I really understood is that a goal is nothing without a clear roadmap on how to achieve it. What can YOU do to make it real?

Obviously, in some things, you are not the only one who clearly impacts it. But once you have a clear roadmap on how to get there - you’ll know how to make it possible.

Then there is a choice.

This week was a bit more motivational, and I hope it got you moving or rethinking something. That’s why I really love writing these newsletters. Sometimes, it gets me pumped up and reminds me how to approach different scenarios in life.

This is one of the songs that got me moving last year - blink-182 All The Small Things

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UNDERSTANDINGS • Niklāvs :
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All the love, Niklāvs

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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Understandings

This newsletter is for people who are not perfect. If you are still figuring out, seeking growth and want to know the game of life a little bit better - this is for you. New issue each Tuesday! Don't miss out.