Why are you doing this? I say this in a tone of awe, because what you’re doing matters to me. Why does it matter to you?

You ever read something and you’re like, okay, that was meant just for me? That happens to me a lot, but this morning it was like…. Oh, wowwwww. It shook me up a lil bit and made me think (always thinking, this one LOL). I’ve been asking the wrong question.

For several years, at the end of each interview with a racer or a crew chief or whomever I’m planning to write about, I’ve been asking a question. It’s varied a little bit, starting with “what do you love about racing” which turned into “what’s your definition of success” and finally “how do you define excellence?”

So, I subscribe to this email called “Arnold’s Pump Club” (even though I’m not currently lifting light, heavy, or anything in between). There is a ton of good information in this email, and it’s FREE. It’s packed with guidance and the most current study findings on supplements, weekly workouts, and a good dose of mental clarity on a wide range of topics.

This morning, in the section at the bottom written by editor Adam Bornstein, was this:

“The question isn’t whether the big moments matter. They do. The question is why you’re pursuing them, and what you’re carrying when you arrive at them.”

I ask questions because I am a student of life, and I have the luxury of being surrounded by some of the most successful, driven people in the world. I get to ask these questions for stories, yeah, but those questions at the end…. I’m asking them for me. I want to be better, and I feel that this space in which I get to reside is a classroom. If I don’t take advantage of that, I’d be a damn fool.

I would put the drive of a multi-time NHRA champion up against any successful athlete because what they carry inside of them is the same. The ability to see a goal and not just chase it willy nilly, to formulate a plan, study, work on their minds and body and spirit, put all the right pieces in place, practice, and then (and this is the hardest and most important part) EXECUTE.

But why? Why do you pour into this the way you do? Maybe I’m asking a hard question here, but I think it’s fair. What are you chasing, exactly? It isn’t really a trophy – although that is the physical representation, and HOT DAMN these 75th anniversary Wallys are GORGEOUS. I know it isn’t money. Why are you doing this? I say this in a tone of awe, because what you’re doing matters to me. Why does it matter to you?

No smartass answers, please. LOL

Write back soon. xo