KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals Spring 2014 | Page 9

At this point, Tim’s words trail off

into the silence. Just as the last
word falls from his lips, he looks
me dead in the eyes and confidently states, “YOU ARE that runner. You have no idea how close
you are.” His gaze was long and intentional. It was as though he was
piercing my soul with his words.
He continued on, “You’ve come
so far. I know you’re almost there.
I can see it. I know you’re on the
verge of something great. I know
you’re almost where you want to
be – there’s no way you can quit
now. You just need to realize how
close you are, stay focused, and
keep running. This is your season.
It’s your year. I truly believe that.
Big things are in store for you. You
just have to keep going.”
In that moment, something happened.
I was no longer tired. I was no
longer confused. I immediately
realized how close I was. I grasped

how much work I had put in to
get to where I now stood. I realized how tired or confused I felt
didn’t matter. I had come too far
to turn away from my own potential now. I was going to keep
pushing forward. I knew I could
make it. Although I was wearing
ballet flats (not tennis shoes) and
was sitting in my office (nowhere near a mountain), it was as
though I was looking back over all
I had managed to accomplish to
date. I HAD come too far to turn
back now. No way. I was gonna
lace up those career shoes and
run harder. And run faster. I could
do it. I would.
With one simple story, Tim had
infused the air in my office with
an uplifting current of possibility
and potential that flowed into me.
I felt accomplished and proud. I
felt happy and capable. I felt like
running, although I was tired and
confused just moments prior.

“Nobody ever talks about the pyramids that weren’t built, the
books that weren’t written, the songs that weren’t sung. Stop
letting your fear condemn you to mediocrity. Get out of your
own way. Your dreams are a poetic reflection of your soul’s wishes. Be courageous enough to follow them. There is no greater
time than now to experience the full power of your potential.
Make this the day you take the first step in the beautiful journey
of bringing your dreams to life.” – Steve Maraboli
9

A few minutes later, Tim departed my office. But his message remained. I guess that’s what career
coaches, respected colleagues,
trusted advisors, and good mentors do – they remind us who we
are. They remind us who we intend
to be. They make us recall where
we’ve been so far, and where we’re
headed. They keep us running,
even when we’re tired. Even when
we’re confused. Even when we’re
unsure how we’ll make the journey. They keep us running even
when we completely lose sight of
why we began to run in the first
place. They keep our eyes focused
on the goal, rather than the obstacles. They keep us moving forward,
making our way toward victory.
And somehow, some way, they
keep us running, until eventually,
we make our way to the goal – be
it to the top of a mountain or our
next “big” thing, whatever it may
be.
Whether we’re the person running
up the side of a mountain or the
accomplished individual making
our back down the other side of
it, encouraging the next runner on
our path, we must remain in the
race. It’s ours to win. It always was.
It always will be – if only we have
the courage to keep running.
So lace up those running shoes a
little tighter, look back to see how
far you’ve come, and keep running
- “You have no idea how close you
are!”
I’ll see you on the mountain.
Jaime Collins is a busy paralegal in
Indianapolis. She is a regular contributor to KNOW. Read her blog,
Paralegal Society.