“When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are very exciting.”
– Doris Brown Heritage, pioneer in women’s distance running
I am a former collegiate runner, specializing in middle distance. I wasn’t an Olympian, or even an All-American, but running was something that I enjoyed. Afterwards I transitioned out of running and into working with leadership groups around the US and Canada. On this journey I found out that it was in the moments of risk, the moments of unknowing, and the moments of new adventure that I feel most alive. I experience a phenomenon similar to that of “runner’s high” and it has been an indicator that I am in a good place. The key to doing so involves putting myself on the line. It comes from acknowledging what I have done to get here, and then stepping further into a place where I am unfamiliar. That’s where my growth lies, and that is where I must go. It is not so much in the running of a race, but in how I “put myself on the line” which determines my end result.
As we begin another session of NSLC, I hope that you join this race, this journey with all of us. If you can “put yourself on the line” while here, I believe that your results will be very exciting.
– Bill Johnson, Leadership Facilitator
