I found a hill...

last time i went to run a mile, i found a hill.

this is where dreams are born and champions are made...

i was very excited by this hill. i knew that this hill would be helpful in training for the upcoming taekwondo season in a few weeks. i decided that i would tackle the hill next early the following week.

today, i did just that. i ran a mile, and then went to the foot of the hill. it was at the foot of this hill that my excitement was exchanged with fear. there were a few reasons for this:

• the hill was bigger than i thought. i'm not crazy about heights.
• i was tired. i was concerned if i could actually do it without falling over.
• i have trouble picking up my feet sometimes, which makes training like this difficult.

nervous, i prepared myself to go. i chanted to myself, "be afraid, do it anyways." i started up the hill. the first few feet wasn't that bad. then the hill became much more steep than i realized earlier. it was as if i was pulling myself up by my big toes. i had to dig in just to pull myself up.

once i reached the top a new challenge appeared to me. i had to peddle down the hill while controlling myself. i also made yet another discovery about the hill: holes. there were places that were sunken in, or even a little muddy. if my foot caught any of those, i certainly would've tripped and rolled 20 feet to the bottom of the hill.

i did this several times. with each time my legs protested more violently. still deep down inside i knew that this was a challenge i had to endure. this hill represented fear. i was honestly scared. it also represented opportunity. one of my favorite tennis players, andre agassi, took to the hills in las vegas when he was training. it helped him win several majors.

i don't believe that dreams are born when we sleep or daydream. that's like saying that a baby is born just because you'd like to be a parent. i believe dreams are born when you make the effort to create what you've visualized in a tangible way.

similarly, champions aren't born. they are made. plenty of people are willing to win. most of them are willing to prepare. this hill represents the willingness to train, hone, perfect. it's a private battle between myself and i. the most intense battle, actually. no matter how hard i hit him he's always there. and he knows just what to say and do to throw me off my game. people usually don't see this battle, but it's the most important one.

any victory that i've had has been because i managed to subdue myself just enough to so that i be everything that i know is possible.

private victories -----> public displays.