Anyone can be an athlete. It is true. Not having enough time, only have one leg, or fear of swimming can all be overcome. I have met climbers missing fingers, mountain runners with one leg, Olympic marathoners who previously lost their ability to walk and they are doing it. It is in us if we want it.

Then there are the busy people – really busy – like full-time jobs and five kids busy – who make it happen because they want it that bad.

When someone says to me “Oh, I could never do that” – ‘that’ being something seemingly out of their reach like running a five kilometer race, climbing a mountain, getting up every morning and running ten miles on a tread mill – I don’t believe it.

I have had the privilege of getting to some of the world’s best athletes. What they all have in common is something we all have within us. That is the gift of perspective on limitations. Limitations don’t become boundaries. Instead, they become challenges to what is possible. See here for one of my favorite inspirations. No, I don’t climb but am none-the-less inspired.

The professional athletes I have met are dedicated to their sports. They prioritize it. They may seem special and different but, like a movie star they choose to focus on this, and that what makes the so good at what they do.  Genetically, they may have some advantages that push them to the top. We can all however, learn to change our perspective , being the best we can be in context of our own genetics and goals. There is an athlete in all of us, it is a matter of prioritizing fitness, food, and self-care within our own circumstances to find the athlete within every body.