Editorial: The Fittest Loser teaches us to believe in ourselves
There are many keys to success, no single formula for reaching it. And admittedly many obstacles to it, several things that can get in the way.
But one ingredient is constant in every story of success: Belief. It is there somewhere inside every accomplishment.
Before a hitter can connect with a high-powered fastball, he must believe he can. Before a student can ace a test, she has to have the confidence that it's possible. Before a public speaker can mesmerize a room, he must have faith in his oratory. Before an entrepreneur can start a business, she has to be sold on its vision.
A lot more goes into success than belief - talent, discipline, hard work, preparation, ambition and more - but without belief, it cannot happen.
As corny as it may sound, you have to believe before you can achieve.
We've been presenting the Daily Herald Fittest Loser Challenge for several years now, and each year, it is as rewarding and inspiring for us as it is for the participants.
We hope it is for you, too.
It offers a lesson not just for weight loss, but for any challenge we might face in life, a message for any aspiration you might contemplate:
You have the power to change your life.
You don't have the power to make yourself perfect. We're not all going to be beauty queens. There are only so many years we can take off our appearance. Some people can become professional athletes, but most of us can't. There are limits we all must work within.
But those limits shouldn't stop us. We all can become better.
And it starts with the belief that we can.
What, after all, is one of the biggest obstacles to losing weight? The sense of helplessness that almost every overweight person feels.
It's the same sense of helplessness that stops a smoker or an alcoholic or an addict from quitting. It's the same sense of helplessness that keeps someone in depression from getting treatment.
And what is helplessness, after all, but a lack of faith, a lack of believing that if you do A, B and C, then D is possible?
It is a lack of believing that you can change your life.
But every year, people change their lives in the Fittest Loser Challenge. We must tell you, it's a joy to be around them when the participants gather each year for the finale. Their excitement bubbles over.
This is what belief can do.
"You have to find something that drives you from within," said Josh Steckler, owner of Push Fitness, a co-sponsor of this year's challenge.
Every year, people change their lives.
You can, too.
The first step in doing it is believing you can.