Volunteering and the Power of Association

I don’t know a lot of people in the community I live in so this past weekend I figured “what the hell, I’ll volunteer for this triathlon I heard about.” Word of advice, don’t ever tell a volunteer coordinator to ‘just put me anywhere’ when you offer up your time because they will take full advantage of your generosity! Joking, not joking. 

Fast forward to this past Saturday, I found myself at the downtown staging area for my 6-hour scheduled shift! Wondering why I wasn’t still home in bed with my husband. But there I was, on my own accord, THERE, and so I decided to make the best of it, have some fun, and meet some of the remarkable people that live in this city. 

As the morning went on, I watched in admiration as one person almost drown, a few people crashed their bikes, and others… limping in extreme agony even though they were supposed to be running. Despite the obstacles (no pun intended), EVERY SINGLE ONE of these athletes finished the race. Nobody gave up! Nobody quit! They all stuck it out and embraced the suck until the end. I also noticed that not all the people doing this triathlon looked to be your stereotypical triathlete. In fact, many of them that I talked to had never done one of these before in their life. Some people even just showed up and hadn’t even trained for the race. 

Now, if you have never been close up and personal with hundreds of triathletes, it’s hard not to wonder what’s going through their heads. What drives them? Why are they putting themselves through so much pain and suffering? And WHY ARE THEY HERE AT 0500??? Did I fail to mention that I live in Georgia? So, my other question was ``why the hell are they doing a triathlon in this absurd Georgian heat?” Having been a competitor of sorts myself, I already knew the answer to these questions, despite that I am always still amazed at how strong the human mind can be. These individuals were all not only athletes but driven to succeed no matter how difficult the course; both literal and figuratively. These types of individuals train physically, mentally, spiritually, and relentlessly, striving to be better! 

My point in sharing this experience is if you need some motivation and encouragement, surround yourself with people with this type of mindset. You can’t expect to be Always in Pursuit if you surround yourself with people that are unmotivated and idle. We are a product of our environment, so the question is; what does your environment look like and what motivates you?

~Sarah N Burke