I’ve learned that in distance running, you can always go a little bit further.  When I’m running on the street I say, “I can make it to that next mailbox…to the light pole…to the stop sign.  Just a little bit further.”

Before you know it, you’ve strung together a couple dozen “just-a-little-bit” furthers, and you’ve got an extra mile under your belt.

It’s undoubtedly easier to quit.  You can say, “Well, look how far I’ve gone already.”  You might have pushed yourself hard—gone further than you ever had before,  but you didn’t go as far as you could.  You had more in the tank.  You were complacent with very good instead of great.  You copped out because you were looking back.  You were looking at what you had done instead of seeing the potential in what you could do.

Doing an extra repetition or two with weights in the gym or taking a few extra steps in a run is a mental thing.  You can fight whatever weakness your feeling, whatever fleeting moment of excruciating pain—you can make it through.  You’ll be sore the next day, but if you ask me, that’s the best feeling in the world.

Physically pushing yourself in training is the only way you can continue to improve.  If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

Let’s “take an extra step” here and apply this to how you live your life.  In what areas are you pushing yourself to be better?  Are you going as hard as you can, or are you looking in the rearview mirror thinking, “I’ve already done so much?”

Are you proud that you’ve been connecting with a handful of people each day?  Or are you challenging yourself to say, “I can do a little bit more.  I can help one more person.  I can send one more card, one more text, give one more pat on the back—share just a tiny sliver of more love.”  You called five friends to say you were thinking of them today?  Great.  Now call another one.  You bought lunch for a stranger last week?  Excellent.  Buy lunch for two this week.

Don’t settle for what you’re already doing because that is not your limit.  Push yourself each day—one step at a time.