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Run for Your Life!

After 20 something years of trying to put off having to run, I'm giving running a shot. Heck, I'm diving head-first into running. My personal goal is making myself able to run 5 kilometers in the morning before going to work. Whether I'll do it on a daily basis is up for debate (mostly between me and myself). Aside from that goal is to actually be able to drop two full inches from my waist (or require myself to actually need to buy new jeans and shirts. Most of all, the more important reason is my family.

I want to be able to live long enough to see my daughter succeed and as a bonus see maybe grandchildren succeed as well. I keep thinking about what my dad's dad would have felt knowing that his grandson was able to start a company, work in big firms, and now is working in arguably the best technology company in the world. He died of his bout with cancer -- he was 72.

Nobody would dispute the fact that had he never smoked, he might have been healthy at 72 and he might very well be still with us now. He made bad choices and even though he had a full life, I think he would have had a fuller life had he lasted longer than he did. I miss my Lolo Peping.

I remember this mostly as I grieve as with the rest of the world in the passing of one of arguably the best CEOs the world has ever known, and one that actually without a doubt changed the world. He took the bull by the horns and rode it, steering it to wherever he wanted. He didn't let his cancer get in the way of his making a difference.

Just as I continue writing this post between breaks, I just learned of Dennis Ritchie, father of C and co-creator of the Unix operating system, has passed away too. I only dream of being able to make a difference big enough to the same extent that Steve Jobs and Dennis Ritchie have to the world.


Looking forward to my future self, I want to be leaving my daughter (and maybe future children) and wife a memory of me that's worth celebrating. I want them to look back at our life together as something filled with great memories. I also want them to have a long and prosperous life with me. I also want to be setting an example by living healthy and being proactively improving in every aspect of life.

Running is just one part of it. In the spirit of setting goals and trying new things I'm also thinking of getting a road bike and getting back into swimming. This is so that maybe in the future I can compete in an Iron Man triathlon. It's not for competition, I just want to be able to go and do it. It's been one of those things that I'd really like to be able to do, and now there's no excuse for me not to go reach for it.

So in the spirit of setting goals and what not, I hope you are able to look forward and see what kind of impact you would like to have in this world and let the great ones inspire you (like they have inspired me) to just constantly do better.

Comments

  1. Dean, go for it mate! I'll be doing the same on the other side of the globe :-)
    Don't give up!

    ReplyDelete

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