Inspiration In a Blink of an Eye

If you’ve ever ran across the finish line of a race, you know that it is one of the most inspirational moments in anyone’s life.

You did it! You trained, sweat, sacrificed, and realized your goal. Whether you completed a 1/4 mile, 5k, marathon, or 100 mile endurance race; there is a sense of accomplishment that no one can ever take away from you.

Running and success in business and life have a tremendous amount in common.

You create a clearly defined goal
You train and rehearse
You push yourself farther than you thought possible
Other people love encouraging you and share in your victory
You are pounded with negativity, yet you keep moving forward

When I’m not speaking to audiences at meetings and conventions, I love shooting photos. I was one of the photographers for the Quad Cities Marathon in Moline, IL this past weekend. As I was perched near the finish line, I noticed a smiling 16 year old woman who had the look of excitement and anticipation as she and her mother were about to cross the finish line.

Click

Mom Pushing Daughter In Wheelchair at Marathon

The young woman, Meikeila Kincaid, of Silvis, IL, was being pushed in her wheelchair by her mother, Kim. Approximately 100 yards from the finish line, Meikeila jumps from her wheelchair and ran the last stretch while holding her mom’s hand.

Click

Girl Jumps from Wheelchair to Finish Race

Meikeila was born with cerebral palsy, a movement disorder which affects coordination and muscle function. She wouldn’t let the idea of that speed-bump keep her down. When she competes in races, she runs a portion of the race and her mother, Kim, pushes her wheelchair for the balance of the race.

Meikeila ALWAYS finishes the races on her own two feet, holding her mom’s hand. Her brother, Christian pushes the wheelchair as they cross the finish line while her father, Dale cheers them on. The Kincaid’s have been running 5k races for the past 4 years. They don’t have any more or less time than you or I, yet they make it a priority and schedule it. (Click here to see my video on the importance of recharging)

Click

Mom and Daughter Crossing Finish Line at Marathon

One of the values that the Kincaid’s share is the value of volunteering. Meikeila and Christian spend the first 2 weeks of their summer vacations volunteering with various special needs organizations.

The Kincaid’s have benefited from the generosity of The Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities. This charity is committed to helping children with developmental disabilities achieve their highest level of independence.

“We’ve always believed that you need to support charities with either your time or money, or both.” Kim explains. “Serving others is a great way to remind yourself of how blessed you really are.”

Each picture was shot at just 1/500th of a second, yet the inspiration and motivation will last a lifetime.

How do you do to stay inspired?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2015 at 1:22 pm and is filed under motivation . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.