Listening to Chrissie speak at our Boulder camp, my initial reaction was a powerful desire to train more and seek to be my absolute athletic best. It was the perfect talk for the day before a race — except I was so jacked that I couldn’t fall asleep that night!

When listening to a charismatic figure, it’s tempting to think that her life is the message.

With a couple of days to reflect, the value of the talk lay more in her themes, than the specifics of her personal journey, which are fascinating.

What’s Your Message?
Chrissie had us write down a personal goal to start the talk. Mine was “Sub-9 at Arizona.”

Chrissie noted that she wasn’t in sport for times, titles or victories. Rather, her talk focused on over-coming adversity, joy in self-expression, exceeding one’s expectations, sharing love and an observation that the public focuses on the warrior, rather than the woman.

So the deeper question is, what are we saying with our daily choices?

The warrior in me wants to have a crack at going top-10 at Arizona but how does that sit with the husband, father, coach, brother and friend in me?

Something Larger Than Yourself
There’s a quote in Lawrence of Arabia (my favorite movie) about pain tolerance: ”The secret is not to mind.”

Chrissie has surprising humility and insisted that she’s a normal woman. Now clearly, any woman that goes 8:19 isn’t normal according to the dictionary. However, what she might mean is she experiences pain, fear, discomfort, loss, emotional distress just like the rest of us. What’s different is her reaction to adversity.

To have strength in the face of adversity, one must work towards something larger than one’s self. Chrissie races for ALS and works for women’s education.

Our ability to cope is strengthened by standing for something larger than ourselves (country, honor, team, tribe).

What’s the higher purpose behind the message of your daily choices?

Understanding Your Mantra
Beneath our goal, Chrissie asked us to write a mantra that reinforces it.

While my goal didn’t feel quite right, my mantra comes to me whenever I’m under duress. Living the life that I want my children to have and being true to my values is highly motivating.

Be The Brand.