How to Get Your Second Wind In Life
Early in my running days, I was training for one of my marathons, I HAD to get my run in late one evening.
It was dark, I was tired. I wanted to rest, but I went anyway.
I’m so thankful I did!
I ran 5 miles and I actually experienced the runner’s high. It’s like jumping out of an airplane, it’s tough to describe.
I moved so quickly, so effortlessly, and so fast. I was overcome with so many feel-good emotions that I almost cried. It was the best feeling in the world and one I can still remember today!
After 15 years of running, I’ve had great runs of course, but hitting the runner’s high is special, like an eclipse, it happens only ever so often.
I’ve experienced the greatest phenomenon twice. Just twice thrice in my life! It happened recently!
On the other shoe, almost every run I currently do, I rely on my 2nd wind.
In the first 800 meters or mile, I am slow, heavy, and my breathing is labored! I actually start to wonder, what’s the matter?
Before you get your second wind in life, there’s a little bit of panic, anxiety, stress, and discomfort.
Soon though, our next burst kicks in.
In everyday life, we RARELY operate in the space where EVERYTHING just flows perfectly and doves fly around when we enter the room and the trumpets roar!
We are training, preparing, and focusing on the details on our craft. We are advised to EMBRACE THE SUCK!
However, the suck is the farthest thing from a peak experience!
Here are 4 ways to get your second wind in life.
1. Know Your Why-
If we are running and we start to walk, then walking becomes easier later on.
If quitting is an option, then we take it. Quitting then becomes easier later on. We must know our own why! If we know our why, then we can come up with any how. It begins each day with a check-in with ourselves.
What’s your goal? What’s your purpose? Who are you connecting with?
2. Don’t Stop-
My wife was going to break 2 hrs for a 1/2 marathon.
I was running with her, pacing. It was going to be close! On the very last slight up-hill, 300 yards from the finish, SHE STOPPED! I screamed at her to get going! She finished in 1:59:52.
No matter how bad something hurts in our life, there is an endpoint.
The pain period we are going through will stop! Hard times do not come to stay, they come to pass!
But, IF you STOP, then all bets are off. How often does someone start college, take a semester or year break, THEN come back? RARE!
You have to keep moving to get your second wind! When all else fails- PUKE & RALLY!
3. Find Your Rhythm-
Everything has a rhythm!
Life has momentum!
In the courtroom, the best defense is to “object.” It gets the other lawyer off their rhythm! Tennis players go back to their towel, Baseball hitters step in & out of the box. All intended to get you off of your rhythm.
Find your rhythm, breath, get back to your routine. Breath, get back to your routine. Breath, reset, re-focus, get back to your routine. Oh yes, and breathe.
4. Patience-
We want our second wind in life NOW. And sometimes we get it….
But, we just don’t know when it will come. We can’t know. All that is certain is that if we go through the motions, if we check-out, if we start looking for the exit, then, our next wind won’t happen!
I had an athlete once tell me, “I can’t wait to be patient.”
I get it.
Patience a higher-order skill and one in which we do not practice today. I can guarantee you that your second chance in life is coming if you just hang on long enough.
| 4 ways to find your second wind in life |
| 1. Know Your Why |
| 2. Don’t Stop |
| 3. Find Your Rhythm |
| 4. Patience. |
Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. DRB & associates coach executives and professional athletes. Some clients have included three different winners on the PGA Tour, Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens.
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