Motivation Is Not Enough

This past week I interviewed my most recent subject for Daddy's Desperate Attempt.  Doug Berlin, a 44 year old entrepreneur that has held two jobs his entire life.  His first, selling insurance.  His second and current, owner of a $10MM, three location enterprise that employs dozens of people and allows him the outlet to pursue one other passion.

He's a self diagnosed OCD sufferer that cant sit still, not even for his son's lacrosse practices/games; he's the coach.  Formerly a gym rat (his words, not mine) he found himself surrounded by people looking to lift heavy things, go out to binge drink and end the evening with some adult entertainment.  He played rugby in college but never ran any distance before because in rugby you typically run into the person in front of you and then run to the bar afterwards.  On a whim, he told his wife that he was going out to run one day.  So when he came home from that first 5 mile distance run, he decided he needed to actually by running shoes.

Flash forward 4 years, yes, only 4 years, and he's run marathons, 50 milers and 100 mile races.  He went from the level of aerobic activity of a tree to finishing his first marathon in 3:15.  Most people train their whole lives to  be able to run under 4 hours.  But really!!!  100 miles after only running for 4 years.  Doug vaguely discussed with me that during his most recent 100 miles, 22 hours, that he had a sprained ankle for the last 40 miles.  He's not proud, he's not gregarious or looking for notoriety.  Doug is searching for sufferance.

Motivation will only take you so far.  "Motivate yourself to get out of bed."  That's nothing.  What about motivating yourself to become the oldest person to be accepted into the Army's Special Forces?  That's Doug and the process he is going through now where he literally needs an act of Congress to get him the age waiver he needs to be accepted.  Its not enough that he's monetarily successful, has a wonderful and supportive wife, 4 children who love and adore him dearly and he's the biggest exercise stud you'll probably ever meet.  His motivation, or whatever you call it, goes to the point where he needs to drop all of that to serve our country and foster what seems to be some of the most compelling God given gifts a man can receive.

Doug seems to have a lot to do in our world.  His expense, his suffering, his fatigue, his motivation, his desire, his goal, his dream, his understanding of normal is so clear to him that it gives him the ability to go beyond motivation.  Motivation is working REALLY hard to do something you may or may not want to accomplish.  But Doug has paved a path for himself that essentially says, "I choose not to just work hard, but to go so far beyond my limits that I can find my soul, stare it in the face and decide how I am truly to live out my time on earth."

Liberating is probably an understatement for Doug.