If you ever want to learn about yourself, I recommend running for 24 hours straight. Well, on second thought, it might not be my first recommendation, but you would definitely have the opportunity to get well acquainted with yourself during such an event. You're body and mind will both be communicating with you at a volume that you definitely can't miss.

During my adventures of running in 24-hour competitions, I have learned a lot about myself; what keeps me going, what holds me back, what is important and what is not. Many of these discoveries can be applied in all areas of life and I will share one of the most critical lessons of all: Know Why!

So much focus is put on the how-to in our lives, but it all doesn't matter unless we know the why-to. I can teach you how to fuel your body during an extreme running event-how many grams of carbohydrates per hour, how many milligrams of sodium per hour, how much water, etcetera. However, if you can't answer the question of why you would do it, my information to you will simply become 'knowledge on ice'. It doesn't have value to you because you don't have a reason to use it-it doesn't support a burning passion.

This past November, I competed in the US Ultra-Running Nationals in the 24-hour competition. Unfortunately, it was not my best race. The first thirty miles were good but it wasn't coming together well after that point. It's one thing to have a tough race and know that it will be over in a few minutes. It's another thing to know that you have nearly twenty hours to go! Regardless, it gave me an extra opportunity to get a better understanding of myself. There is always a good side. You simply have to look for it. At hour 23, the course is shortened to a simple ¼ mile loop. My legs were fried after some 110+ miles of difficult racing. My body was way under-fueled. Blood was coming through my right shoe due to a poor job I did prepping it when I did a shoe change some 12 hours earlier; fortunately, it had gone numb by this point. Sadly, my 'why' had also gone numb as well, as the best answer to "Why am I doing this?" was simply "To finish." That is barely a 'why' at all and it clearly showed.

Everything changed instantly, however, when the race director announced over the PA system that Connie Gardner was on pace to set the women's American record! A new American record-I got inspired. Once I understood the great race that Connie was having, I got involved with her 'why'. "This is about making history…I must do all that I can to help her do it!" My 'why' suddenly had great significance-to help someone make history! The combination of having a 'why' of great significance as well as serving another person sent me on an internal mission to dig deep for energy. I put everything I had into moving faster…I focused everything on getting it going to encourage her. I was cheering for her while running. I found myself going faster and faster as my inspiration grew. It had to be one of the greatest lessons to me of the power of knowing 'why' you are doing something and how you can achieve so much more than you ever thought possible when the 'why' is significant enough.

Your life performance will correlate with your passion of purpose. What is the point? Why am I doing this? Have a great answer. It will make all the difference in the world. Two men working were each asked, "What are you doing?" One man responded, "Cutting stone." The other man responded, "Building a cathedral." Whose work do you suppose will be more fruitful? Who will get more satisfaction from what they are doing? Who will wake up with more energy to get back to their work?

Make a commitment to not only grow your knowledge of how to do things, but also to clarify your understanding of why you are doing them. Then, watch your energy, productivity, and fulfillment skyrocket in your life.