The year was 2000. The place was Boston; more specifically mile 18 or so of the Boston Marathon. It was my first 26.2 and I was really starting to suffer. Heartbreak Hill was living up to its name for me on that date, in that place. My heart was being broken.
There were thousands of fans on the course that cool day in April. They had been cheering for a long time and they had a lot longer to cheer to see the last runners battle through that famous section of hills. Funny with all that was going on in the race and on the sidelines one dude stood out and his image resonates with me to this day over 10 years later.
He was big guy with his shirt off; one face in a sea of thousands. To me it wasn’t who he was that stood out but what he had written on his bare chest. In magic marker, on his chest, was written these three words:
“EMPTY THE TANK”
Why that motivated me to push through the pain and finish the race I do not know. The fact is though… it did.
Those are the words that I want to share with you today in this quick article.
It doesn’t matter that you are doing: Empty the tank!
These three words could mean many things. To me it means maximum effort. Do your best. Leave it all out there.
Whether you are doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, making dinner, developing a new relationship or working out; why leave anything in the tank? Why not give your all?
I worked out with my Functional Fitness class the other day. It was so very hard to get off those stairs and sprint over to the thrusters station just to suffer there so I could sprint to and suffer at the next station. I did it that way because I know that it’s silly for me to do things half ass when what I should do is empty the tank.
In life, if you want to be successful, don’t just do it halfway; don’t simply show up and expect other people to do it for you or worse make excuses.
Every time that you do something ask yourself if you emptied the tank. Did I just do my best? Did I EMPTY THE TANK?
Within 24 hours of reading this you need to do a workout. When you are done know that you emptied the tank. EMPTY THE TANK. For you then the world is yours for the taking.
