Tips for overcoming obstacles

Thanks to Shaklee VP Cathy Keating for sending me the following excellent article.    Enthusiastically,   Gary Burke

 

Tips for overcoming obstacles and finding your inner athlete from Kris Freeman If you watched the cross country skiing events during the Sochi Games, you saw the bodies pile up as athlete after athlete, racked with pain and gasping for air, collapsed at the finish line… “Viewers were alarmed, I realize,” said Kris Freeman, a long-time Shaklee Pure Performance Team member, “but that is just the sign of a great race.” The four-time veteran of the Games (’02, ’06, ’10, ’14) added, “In the perfect race we push hard over the last 1,000 meters and then thrust our lead foot at the finish line. We’re weaving and wobbly, so it’s common to crash.” But Kris’s pure love for the sport keeps him coming back for more. His story is remarkable for more than just the four times he’s participated in the Games; Kris is a type 1 diabetic who has overcome numerous obstacles to compete as an endurance athlete at the highest levels for more than a decade. “When I first learned I was a diabetic in 2002 I thought ‘Oh no, can I still ski?’ I was very scared,” he admitted. “But I started researching, and what I discovered made me believe I could continue.” So four Games later, Kris offers some great insights for overcoming obstacles and finding the champion within. 1)  Look for reasons to continue, as opposed to reasons to stop. “Competitive skiing is what I truly love, so I wasn’t going to be deterred.” Kris explained that we too often surrender to conventional wisdom instead of seeking alternate, creative, or even courageous paths to our goals. “If you really want to achieve something, you need to keep searching for the way forward,” he emphasized. 2)  Build a strategy and refine as needed. “First, I found a doctor who could help and we started measuring insulin delivery rates. Then we continued to determine what factors affected my performance, and we’re still running tests and fine tuning things,” he explained. Kris also marveled at the body’s ability to adapt to stress and gain strength. “The human body is really cool–I can push it to its limits and then I discover that there’s even more room to improve,” he said, “and I think everyone has that same capacity.” 3)  Never be satisfied with “good enough.” He explained, “I never thought, ‘Hey, I’ve arrived!’ I always want to pop up to another level and avoid being totally satisfied.” Kris believes most people have enough competitive fire to work hard for improvement in at least one area of their lives, if not several. “If you start to become complacent with your performance, it’s time to jump up and get going. I’ve made four Teams (for the Games), but I’m seriously considering going for a fifth!” One way to move past stagnation is to take a long-term view of our goals. “I see myself as a champion skier,” he said, “and a big goal like that simply takes time.” 4)  Help others find their inner champion. “Of course, when you achieve a goal it always feels good.  But I gain tremendous gratification by helping others work through their struggles or obstacles,” he said. “I often go to summer camps to help kids with diabetes understand that they can do whatever they want in life, whether it’s skiing or any other sport or endeavor.” Kris also believes that proper nutrition and supplements are extremely important. “Food and supplements are like fuel for your car or airplane,” he said. “That’s why I believe in Shaklee products. They help me along. If I I need additional supportI can count on Shaklee to help fill that void.” Perhaps Kris’s most important advice for overcoming obstacles relates back to that scene at the finish line: “We may be so exhausted that we lie there like we’re half dead, but you’ll notice,” he proclaimed with a gleeful smile, “we always get back up!”