I've been motivated-and demotivated-by other folks' achievements all my life.
When I was a teenager, a neighborhood friend 1 a marathon race. Feeling motivated, I started running2 , but then two things happened. First, a girl I met one day told me she was3 for a "super, "referring to a 52.4-mile double marathon. Then, the next day I went on my longest run-15 miles. To be honest, I 4 it! Between the girl making my 5 seem small and the pure boredom of jogging, I decided that the only6 I'd ever run again is if a big dog was running after me!
So I 7 cycling. I got a good bike and rode a lot. I 8 of entering cycle races until I flew to San Diego to visit my sister. While she was at work one day, I 9 her bike and went for a ride. The10 : The roads there went through large valleys where I'd be riding uphill for miles at a time. I'd never faced such 11 . That day, I got12 by about 100"local"bikers who were used to such roads. When I got back home, suddenly riding my bike didn't seem quite as 13 .
I've 14 a lot since then. I've come to accept that whatever 15 I set for myself, they just have to be my own.
