I was 20 miles into a long-distance trail race when my heart rate monitor registered a jump from 154 bpm to 197 bpm. I was being chased, and my entire life hung in the balance—or so I thought.

Let me set the stage.

At the beginning of December 2017, I ran in a trail ultra without training. I was in decent shape but hadn’t found the time to put in more than a few short runs since the birth of our third child just months earlier. I was traveling weekly during that time and felt the combined exhaustion of infant baby needs, airplanes, and too much caffeine.

Before our son’s birth, I signed up for the Isle du Bois Train Run at Ray Roberts State Park in North Texas. I told my wife I planned to complete this 55-kilometer race no matter what and then ran less than 10 miles throughout my “training” period in the months before the event.

When race day arrived, I wasn’t physically ready. However, I had spent years coaching other leaders and athletes to recognize that our thoughts and words have a massive influence on our abilities. When someone would tell me, “I could never do x, y, and z,” I would always agree with them. They’re right. They can’t do it. They just said as much.

Conversely, I'd believe that person even more if someone told me they could do something. The fundamental belief that you can complete a task, regardless of difficulty, helps you overcome the mental obstacles and excuses many others hide behind.

Hopefully, you’ve read the Henry Ford quote that punctuates my point. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t - - you’re right.”

I’ve experienced this phenomenon repeatedly throughout my career.

• Everything and almost everyone told me that I would fail in launching CARPOOL at Texas A&M University, except for a few friends and the self-talk I exercised in my writing, speaking, and prayers. In its 25 years of operations, CARPOOL has reduced drunk driving by providing about 300,000 rides home to people in need, and the model is now used at schools nationwide.

 
• In launching the First Choice Power Portal, a technology that reshaped the deregulated electricity industry for commercial clients and energy brokers, I met with multiple department leaders ten to twenty years older than me, explaining why my ideas were impossible. Despite the internal and external roadblocks, I was joined by a small set of teammates who shared my belief that we would find a way and that anything was possible. That portal drove record-breaking growth and contributed to the premium valuation of that enterprise when it sold in 2011.

• When my three-year-old son was diagnosed with brain cancer and started daily radiation treatment, many people assumed that I would step back from work since it would be “impossible to focus on client needs and also keeping up with the demands of our home.” I am grateful that my wife and I share similar views when challenges arrive. We commit to making it all happen and pray our way through it. My son completed his treatments, and he is now enjoying pre-k 3, my other kids continued their involvement with schools and sports, AND our business grew. In fact, we were so hyper-focused on being productive any time I was away from the demands of my home life that we were able to add more consulting clients, roll out our online courses to large groups, continue to grow our retail business and purchase a construction firm throughout 2024.

So why did my heart rate jump up so high?

When the race started, my body felt great, and the first eleven-mile lap went by rather quickly. Sometime during the second lap, my body realized that I had no intention of stopping any time soon, and everything started to change. I could feel the blood pumping into my hands, and they felt like balloons. Each time I stubbed my toe on a rock, my entire body felt like it received an electric shock. I could feel every small detail of my gear, and soon, the necklace I wore daily felt too heavy for my neck. When I touched the top of my head, I could feel the spots where my fingers connected, and those areas were suddenly very cold. It is hard to describe accurately, but everything seemed to shut down.

Then mile 20 came. I was running downhill when I looked to my left and saw a snake that must have been 18 inches wide and 25 feet long. If you are trying to imagine this beast, think of Harry Potter. My heart went into my throat and then through my eyeballs. I ran for my life with every bit of energy I had left. I escaped the snake momentarily and knew I’d have to face it again on lap three.

At mile 31, I returned to that downhill section and searched for the snake. As I started down the hill, an armadillo stepped out in front of me, and I had flashbacks to what had happened 11 miles earlier. That same armadillo had appeared as a gigantic snake bobbing through the leaves during my earlier encounter. I laughed out loud at my previous hallucination and finished the final three miles of the race.

Completing that race was crazy.

I don’t recommend doing what I did, but I think it's important to take lessons from this story and apply them to your life and leadership. Negative self-talk predicts future failure, whereas a firm belief that something is possible (and probable) is a great predictor of success.

As for me, I have no plans to complete another trail ultra. But I do intend to take on more difficult tasks with confidence, fortitude, and prayer.