Setting Bigger Goals: Let's Save the World

how shooting for the stars helps you get to the moon (or at least up a few flights of stairs)

Author running in the Fireside 50, Castro Valley, CA

In 2019 I ran my first (and only) 50-mile ultramarathon outside of Oakland, CA

Every negative limiting belief in the galaxy decided to invade my head during the weeks before the race. They were mirrored in the people around me.

My dad told me it was a terrible idea, that I was going to injure myself and do irreparable damage.

My best friend told me to throw in the towel. He said there was no shame in that. I’d injure myself. It was a terrible idea.

The inner resistance crescendoed the morning of the race.

“You aren’t a runner, what are you doing here?! You can’t do this race, you don’t even have the right gear. Look at that cheap watch, it doesn’t even have GPS! You’re going to fail, you shouldn’t embarrass yourself here, you’re going to be a burden on other racers because you’re a fake!”

Ouch. Harsh.

It was like listening to the worst radio station imaginable. I eventually reasoned that I knew I could at least run 26.2 miles, the distance of the San Francisco marathon I had completed a couple of months before. As a matter of fact, that hadn’t gone too badly as I was 2 minutes shy of qualifying for Boston. 

I told the voices to screw themselves and finished 50 miles in 11 hrs, even though much of the race was run barefoot. An unforeseen sock issue caused knife-like stabbing pain in my left arch around mile 28. Luckily the still small voice within I mentioned above whispered that I abandon footwear. 

It worked. 

11 hours ain’t too shabby for a first 50 miler. 

As I crossed the finish line that evening my 9-year-old bonus-daughter (bonus is my replacement for the word “step” which has negative connotations for me from the story Hansel and Gretel. Remember the evil stepmother? Ooh, what a nasty one she was. She clearly was not a “bonus” mother) was waiting there clapping and cheering me on. 

The pain in my legs and pretty much everywhere was excruciating, but it was well-earned. With what little endorphins I had left, I was able to feel pretty good about my accomplishment. 

(Side note: after a good night’s sleep that evening I had a runner’s high that lasted almost two weeks - a welcome side-effect I was not expecting.)

That’s when Leah (bonus daughter) said something to me I will never forget:

“Christoph, you just ran 50 miles. If you can do that, you can do ANYTHING!”

The way she shared those words with such conviction and excitement caused my brain to stall for a moment. In my state of utter exhaustion, her statement landed like a seed in a ripe bed of moist potting mix. It was a suggestion planted by the universe, through an innocent young girl, into my fertile and completely impressionable ragged mind. Perfect timing, perfect delivery. 

I think about that sentence every day.

You can do anything. 

After receiving my little medal and t-shirt for completing the race, I grabbed a complimentary beer from the cooler, chugged it, and proceeded to vomit for the next two hours. Apparently, I hadn’t really digested anything I ate the whole day since my energy was directed mostly towards my legs and heart muscle. I watched the whole sequence of trail bars, gels, electrolyte drinks, and general food stuffs exit out of my face like a watching VHS tape in rewind.

You can do anything.

 If I could run 50 miles, something I had previously never believed I could do until I tried, what else am I capable of? 

My other cheerleader on the run, daughter Rain. (Those cheeks!)

What else am I capable of?

You may think I’m going to say a 100-mile race.

Well, I’m not. I’ve thought about it, but honestly it doesn’t really tickle my fancy these days. Running is great and I love it, but it’s not a passion like it used to be.

Plus, it’s too small of a goal.

The main point of this article is that we are capable of much more than our conditioned stinkin’ thinkin’ will allow us to even imagine.

I’m shooting for the stars here folks, and I know this sounds crazy, but…

I want to save the world.

Now… the thoughts going through both of our heads right now are probably not much different than the thoughts that tore through mine before my 50-mile race.

“That’s crazy. You can’t do that. You’re going to scare off all your subscribers. That’s unrealistic.”

“Throw in the towel.”

“You….. can’t.”

Allow me to take a brief moment here to reach inside my pocket and pull out a nice shiny BULLSHIT card.

Before you start arguing with me and jumping into the comment section all guns ablaze, please understand a thing or two about what I’m saying:

The idea I’m offering is to set bigger-than-possible goals. If you shoot for the stars, you may at least get to the moon, and that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment.

I was once blessed with the opportunity to join my teacher Ammachi (aka the Hugging Saint from southern India) for a special little gathering in a devotee’s living room in Ann Arbor, MI. This kind of meeting is really quite rare since Ammachi is constantly surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of admirers all day, everyday. She’s like one of India’s most famous Gurus.

A high school student was telling her of his ambitions to attend Harvard, and then to become a delegate for the United Nations so that he could fix the mess going on in Sudan, as well as address the injustices happening all over the planet.

Ammachi replied most sweetly, “Son, trying to change the world is like trying to empty the ocean one drop at a time. It will never happen. You should continue to strive to do what you can, but don’t be attached to the outcome.”

I thought that was a pretty good answer quite frankly. Go Ammachi. And this is coming from a person who arguably does more to save the world than anyone in history. Check out her website if you wish. She has hugged like 30 million people and opened free hospitals, orphanages, schools, universities, and on and on.

But this isn’t about trying to recruit you into a spiritual movement. It’s about reframing our orientation around what is possible and what can be done about the state of affairs that surrounds us.

Gandhi. Now, here’s another giant whom I admire with great fervor (plus I had a dream about him the other night. Don’t worry it was G-rated). Do you think Gandhi let those obnoxious pre-50-mile-race kind of voices stop him from kicking that old British regime out of India?

Since both Gandhi and Ammachi are from India, they both are/were familiar with the famous text called the Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord). One of the main points of this text is that we are not responsible for the fruit of our actions. Do your work the best you can, and the rest is in God’s hands.

Photo by Pratik Chauhan on Unsplash

So why not shoot for the stars? Why not take on the daunting task of saving the world? The worst that can happen is you’ll leave this planet a better place, with maybe some more trees, a handful of happier people who you weren’t a total jerk to, a little bit less pollution, and a legacy of good stories about someone who gave a shit.

I don’t care what the hordes of inner and outer naysayers shout in my head. I ain’t throwing in the towel. By having a HUGE, unrealistic, and slightly ridiculous goal in place, I find that many smaller goals line up underneath the “umbrella” of the BIG one.

I want to save the world - BIG Umbrella Goal

I want to be a writer who shares inspiring, encouraging, and positive healing messages with a whole bunch of people - smaller goal that goes under the umbrella.

I want to get paid to do this so I can do it more - under the umbrella.

I want to be in great physical shape, resolve addictions, and have lots of energy - under the umbrella.

I want to generate a sizeable income in order to purchase ecologically sustainable products which are usually more expensive, as well as have more time and freedom to serve in more ways ….

I want a great relationship with a partner who wants to save the world with me…

Under the umbrella goals.

I could go on, but you get the gist.

Under the umbrella goals get a lot of juice, a lot of electricity, when they are aligned with a BIG HUGE Umbrella goal. They get infused with chi (if you will) and become fortified with perseverance, faith, focus, and sticktoitness.

I can’t believe spell check let that last word slide.

So who’s in? What’s your BUG (Big Umbrella Goal)?? What goals align with it?

In Other News…

I am THRILLED beyond reason to share that this week not only did Miracle Soup surpass 100 subscribers (!!!) but it also received it’s first paid subscription!

It’s kind of like running a 50-mile ultra. You put in enough early mornings, you find enough self-love to commit to carving out the time to do what lights you up, and gradually some results are reflected back your way.

Here’s the feedback from the notification of my first paid sub:

"Your style of writing and storytelling is beautiful. I find your words truly resonate with me. And, you are the only person I have a paid subscription to. I sure hope this doesn't add to your angst of more eyes reading or create any pressure to write more or better as you've mentioned in an older post. You speak from the heart and I feel it.”

This message literally caused me to tear up. It’s amazing what some words can do.

I told her it definitely adds to my angst and pressure, but that’s not her problem. Just more breaking through “pre-race voices”.

And don’t worry I also said thank you.