I’m not here to be average. I’m here to be awesome!

Lisa Pickering
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Mont Blanc, Quebec
A couple of years ago I took a flight from Toronto to Mt. Tremblant. The airport is a small log cabin building. As you arrive you walk in the back door. There is a large window separating the passengers from those waiting. I was near the back of the plane, so one of the last people to get off. By the time I got into the building there was a line up. I didn’t have any checked luggage so I knew I didn’t have to wait in line for that. I couldn’t understand what the line up was for. My brother was waiting for me on the other side of the glass and he was motioning for me to go around but I couldn’t get through. We moved up a little and I asked the person in front of me what everyone was lined up for. The lady looked up and pointed to a sign “Customs”. (For those of you who aren’t Canadian – both Toronto and Mt. Tremblant are in Canada!) I said – We flew from Toronto, we don’t have to go through customs. She sighed and said well that’s what we’re waiting for. I just stared at her. I then just starting pushing through the line and left the airport.

The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been. ~ Albert Einstein

I’ve been laughing about this experience since it happened. How often do we just do what everybody else is doing. It’s easier than being different. People don’t understand different. They don’t understand why you would get up at 5am to swim when you could sleep for another couple of hours. They don’t get why you don’t know who won the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. They look at you strangely when you say that you’re working on your business on Saturday rather than doing… nothing? It’s ok to be different. In fact you get more out of life when you’re doing what you want to be doing rather than the same boring thing that everyone else is doing. So you just need to get used to the questions and the strange looks!

To be fair, there are mornings when I sleep in.  There are occasions when I watch a movie. And there are days when I just sit on the couch and do nothing.  But these times are the exception not the norm.

At the Warrior Coaching seminar earlier this month we were asked what we are willing to suffer for. It made me think. In fact, I’ve been thinking about it for the past couple of weeks. I have set my goals for the year and that’s great but now comes the hard part. In order to swim 365 kms in 365 days I actually have to do it! I have to get up at 5am and go out in the cold, brush the snow off my car, get into the pool and SWIM… sometimes for hours at a time. Would I like to stay in my warm bed for a few more hours? Yes. But I know if I do I won’t reach my goal. So I get up and do it.

I had a conversation with a friend about what we are willing to suffer for. It changes your mindset when you think about it from this perspective. My reaction to getting up at 5 isn’t “I wish I could stay in bed”, it’s “I need to get my kilometres in this week”. By thinking about the goal rather than the task it’s almost… dare I say… easier!

So what are you willing to suffer for? What are you willing to give up or willing to work hard at to reach your goals?


You can do world-class work. Or you can please everyone around you. But you can’t do both. ~ Robin Sharma

8 thoughts on “I’m not here to be average. I’m here to be awesome!”

  1. Hi Lisa. In true form you offer us another opportunity to be inspired and affirm that pushing through the crowd to rise above and beyond opens up so many amazing experiences. On these (I’ll call them beautiful) Canadian winter 5am mornings and some evenings, Ken & I can be found out running. We have running goals for the year and will not be successful if we do not get out the door (well step one is getting out of bed). We hear from so many that we are crazy. OK…we are crazy…crazy to be healthy and enjoy maintaining the level of fitness that has been our lifestyle along time. Our choice to be different has taken us to races in every Canadian province & territory. How many can say they have run 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle on the shale shore of the Northwest Passage with the threat of polar bears; driven the Labrador “highway” which is a glorified gravel road with no service station for 500km to get to a race; enjoyed the Irish Rovers during a stop in Moncton for a race; or met amazing Canadians in every one of our provinces and territories that make our country so incredible. We are different by choice because we want to keep going places we have never been physically, emotionally & spiritually. We are fortunate to share our passion with special people. We welcome and encourage others to join the journey…be different!

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  2. Nobody ever changed the world by following someone else.
    Instead, people who change the world live differently and inspire others to do the same.
    Thank you, Tia, for “footprints” worth following.
    Your blogs are the best medicine in the world.
    Love you, Mimi xo

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  4. Now that “customs” thing was funny.

    Ok this was a good read as I sit here looking at my Weather app thinking its -9 and I need to do a long run. And I’d really rather just drink coffee and chill.

    Thanks for the inspiration.

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    • I know there’s definitely things that you do that people don’t understand – the ultra marathon for example! It never stops you from following your dreams! Hope you had a good run… I have no doubt that you went.

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