November 19, 2011 was a day that seemingly connected my past, present, and future, all at the same time. Possibly the most impactful day of my life…
It was 6:50 am and I had just jumped into Tempe Town Lake with an approximate water temperature of 62 degrees. Everyone around me was bitching about how cold the water was, but that was the least of my worries. Growing up on the rugged Northern California coast surfing in water that gets into the 40’s was finally paying off. Quite honestly, between my extended experience in cold water and the fact that adrenaline was pulsating every vein in my body, it practically felt like bath water. I would use this as the only psychological advantage I had because basically that’s all I could hang my hat on. 11 months earlier, I could not swim 25 yards without stopping, the only bike I owned was a beach cruiser, and I had never run more than 4 miles in my life.
This brings me to the obvious question: “What the F*CK was I doing about to attempt an Ironman?”
Barely a year removed from an 11-year Major League Baseball career, I was about to embark on a day in which I would swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 more, and run a 26.2-mile marathon. While some may believe there would be a seamless transition from MLB into the world of triathlon, that could not be any further from the truth. If I had been sitting on a couch for the past 15 years smoking weed and drinking beer, my prep would have been relatively equivalent. I spent years building an anaerobic base through playing baseball, which had me dialed in to run a hard 90 feet to beat out an infield single or chase down a fly ball in the gap. Going 1st to home was what I considered a “long run.” I was treading water waiting for the famous Ironman cannon to sound. Looking around at 3,000 people in the water, I could not help but think what their individual stories were. What possibly drove them to the start line? Music was pumping but I was not really hearing it. There was a crowd of spectators that lined the lake and even hovered above on the Mill Avenue Bridge. I could tell they were cheering but the sound was faint, white noise. The sun then began to rise over the Arizona desert mountains off in the distance. We were about to swim directly toward it. Then, it happened…
I actually saw my Dad. I could even hear him. “Isn’t this great ‘E’! I am so proud of you. What a magical day!” The problem was that my Dad died 8 months earlier. I didn’t have time to question or even reflect upon the encounter. BOOM. We were off…
This is my journey, this is my life, my lessons, my successes, and my many failures… in my own words.
This is my F*It List.
The F*It List is a lifestyle as much as it is an actual list of sh*t to get done. It is an attitude that bleeds into every aspect of your life. It constantly challenges you to question the norms of society and push the limits of the status quo. Specifically, your status quo. Most importantly, the F*It List forces action. It promotes energy and gives life. It allows you to stand up for what you believe but also helps give perspective on external situations and opinions outside of your control. It’s not always comfortable and in many instances, it is downright scary. Yet, instead of searching for the meaning of life, you will be authentically living it.
Too often we put limits on ourselves, creating boundaries around what we believe we are capable of. We immerse ourselves in a fixed mindset and make every excuse along the way. “I’m too old. I’m too young. I’m too tired. I’m too shy. I’m too weak. I’m not smart enough. I’m not pretty enough. I’m not rich enough. I’m not a good enough athlete…” Bullsh*t! If there is one TRUTH that I have learned in life, it’s that you get out what you put in. The question then becomes, are you willing to put in the work to challenge yourself to live your authentic life? Are you willing to say, ‘f*ck the result’ while completely embracing everything the process has to offer? It’s not always that easy to say f*ck it…
We need to say f*ck it in order to do things we don’t think we want to do…
We need to say f*ck it because something tragic has happened in our life…
We need to say f*ck it and stand by our beliefs…
We need to say f*ck it and try to understand somebody else’s…
We need to say f*ck it to make very difficult life decisions…
We need to say f*ck it because sometimes those difficult life decisions we made didn’t work out how we thought they would…
We need to say f*ck it if we are going to attempt to do anything outside of our comfort zone…
We need to say f*ck it (or them) when somebody tells you NO…
We need to say f*ck it to attempt something we don’t believe we are capable of doing…
We need to say f*ck it when we fail…
We need to say f*ck it when we succeed…
We need to say f*ck it because in 100 years from now we will all be dead..
Lastly, it’s very simple…
If you want to do EPIC sh*t with your life, start with F*CK IT.
[Listen to the audio version of the Introduction above, or on The Hustle Podcast.]