​There are parts of our story's we might wish weren't a part of them. We can live in the past or move forward. Our past will always be a time in our lives but it doesn't need to be the time of our lives. Let's cast vision and look forward to next. Ask good questions, answer them in real time to the best of our abilities, pivot if necessary and keep going with relentless courage!  I mentioned there would be an "Aged Reflection" automatically sent with an email subscription.  It won't be automatically triggered (for some reason) but I will send it over as folks subscribe.  Peace.

​I believe in you!  As the snow fell and the hill kept on ideas and excitement filled my thoughts.  So, as I climbed, I talked and recorded my thoughts.  This episode I talk about the products I’m refining and looking forward to bring to market.  There’s a bit of my personal history in there and I dive a bit deeper into why I choose the three goals of my podcast and brand.  They are to bring attention to God’s name and grace, help those who have experienced or are experiencing alcohol abuse or addiction and help those who are looking to learn and grow every single day.  This is by far the longest podcast I’ve put out at 41:35.   This is just unfiltered trail talk and a glimpse into where my head goes during a long day on the trail.  I believe in you!

First of all, the idea I’m going to talk about today applies across many things.  I would like to highlight now and again at the end of this podcast today that in order for any of it to work, relentless, often disorganized action must occur.  Until it does nothing is going to change.  

Welcome to the Relentless Courage podcast.  My name is Jon Howard, Husband and Father of three, Ultramarathon athlete and business owner.
​
There are three things I’m looking to do with this podcast.  They are: 
1.  Bring attention to God's name and grace
2.  Help those who have or are experiencing alcohol abuse or addiction
3.  Help those who desire to learn and grow every single day
 
First of all, the idea I’m going to talk about today applies across many things.  I would like to highlight now and again at the end of this podcast today that in order for any of it to work, relentless, often disorganized action must occur.  Until it does nothing is going to change. 

Maybe you’re a coach or player on a sports team, teacher, CEO, company President, business owner, community leader or in a leadership position in any vocation at any level.  I hope this idea can give you more tools to succeed wherever you are in whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.

It took me three full years and two failed attempts at completing a 100-mile footrace before I finally finished my first in 2014.  As I reflect on my journey to this point as an ultramarathoner many things begin to reveal themselves that can be applied beyond the trail.  One of those things is how mistakes lead to improvement and eventually success.  It’s kind of a loop.

Let me start by saying none of these stages can begin to happen without action up front.  It doesn’t even need to be real meaningful action, just rough, initial action.  We just have to go.  We must take the first step towards our goals and desires in order to grow. 

The stages I’ve identified are reflection, recognition, meaningful action and recruitment.  They are listed in the order in which they occur.  The speed at which we progress though these stages largely depends on our level of commitment towards our goals and desires.  How much energy are we willing to give and how much energy do we have to give, all things considered towards the desired outcome?

The first stage is Reflection:

As we begin to take rough, initial action it may seem like nothing goes our way.  There is a curve that must occur in order to reach our goals.  Failure and mistakes are a part of that process.  This stage can be sped up by involving a mentor or coach.  As we enter in to situations that are unfamiliar to us, we aren’t able to shift in real time.  Instead, we rely on reflection when we’re out of those situations entirely.  Looking back on them we’re able to see the things we may have done differently to achieve success.

The second stage is Recognition:

In this stage of continuous improvement, we move beyond reflection.  We’ve used reflection to identify what needs to happen to be successful.  We now are able to see while we’re in situations where we’re unfamiliar, what needs to happen in order to achieve the outcome we are seeking.  We haven’t yet gotten to the point of taking meaningful action in real time, but we’re getting there.

The third stage is Meaningful Action:

The reflection loop has happened now enough times for us to be able to see what needs to happen to achieve success.  We’ve been there often enough to have recognized how to achieve the desire we seek.  Now, we not only recognize what needs to happen, we take meaningful action using the information we’ve gotten through past mistakes and failure.  Action takes courage.  Action takes trust.  If we haven’t gone through the first two continuous improvement, unless we get lucky, which does happen, we won’t see much success.  Relentless courage in the face of struggle is required.

The fourth stage is Recruitment:
The highest level of continuous improvement is recruitment.  We’ve experienced the first three phases and are able to, not only identify how they fit into our lives, but we see how others can work their way through the process as well.  We might create trainings to help others speed up their own process or coach folks in real time through these four stages.

It takes courage to take rough, initial action.  Go for it!  What do you have to lose?  I would like to highlight now as I did at the beginning of this podcast today that in order for any of it to work, relentless, often disorganized action must occur.  Until it does nothing is going to change. 
​
I hope you can find a place in your life to apply this message today.  Subscribe, leave a 5-star review and share this episode with someone who could use this message today!  Peace.

​"What are your greatest fears?  I ask not to bring fear upon you.  I ask so you can identify and acknowledge the fears in your life.  Once we’ve got that information our fears lose their power and become our project."

Are we required to keep a list of greatest fears?  Can we simply live each day free of great fear?

J, thanks for the questions. Most days I do live free of great fear. I acknowledge it though when it shows up, call it what it is and choose courage. Fear is a tricky one. I do think it exists in certain areas of all of us. I also think it lies dormant much of the time. It’s in moments of uncertainty and high leverage that it reveals itself most. Those are my personal thoughts on the matter. Relentless courage in the face of success for me is not required all the time, just when the stakes are highest. I choose relentless courage as a tool to overcome those fears. I have to in order to closer approach my full potential. Fear without courage leads to complacency. For me complacency leads to the bottle. God willing, I won’t go there again.

There is a balance between fear and courage that can be called peace.  As we move towards our fears, it requires more courage to live there.  While we’re not required to keep a list of our greatest fears, it seems the more information we have about ourselves the better.  It comes down to asking good questions.  If we don’t identify and acknowledge what we’re afraid of, how to we grow and develop courage in the face of our fears. 

Just because we fear something doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go there; it just means we don’t want to.  Sometimes it’s good to stay but most often I’d say it’s good to go.  Courage can’t grow without the balance of fear.  Courage can’t grow without leaning into our fears and pushing our limits even though we know it’s not going to be comfortable. 

Are we required to keep a list of greatest fears?  No, but it helps to identify what they are so we can prepare ourselves and live with courage in the face of fear.

Can we simply live each day free of great fear?  Yes.  We can live there in one of two ways.  We can not do the things that scare us and stay where we are.  We can press into the fears we’ve identified and live with relentless courage.

Relentless Courage in the face of success.  Right now, for me, living with relentless courage in the face of success means 1. Bringing attention to God’s name and grace. 2. Helping people who are experiencing or have experienced alcohol abuse and addiction. 3. Helping people develop a way of being that looks to grow and improve every single day.
​
So, I’ll leave you with this.  What are your greatest fears?  I ask not to bring fear upon you.  I ask so you can identify and acknowledge the fears in your life.  Once we’ve got that information our fears lose their power and become our project.  Live with Relentless Courage – Peace!

​What are your greatest fears?  Most of us talk about fear of failure.  For many of us, we can fail all day long.  In fact, we engineer failure much of the time.  It certainly is an easier place to live, at least for me.  How about you?  Relentless courage in the face of success.

During December in 2019 I recapped my Superior 100 Mile Endurance Run. I recorded it in chapters ranging from one minute to around three minutes. Then I created a cover image for Instagram. After finishing the project I went back and made all of the covers into a movie. That's what this is.  Subscribe to my channel on YouTube!

​In my last recording I talked about how asking the right questions is an important part to finding the answers we seek. Today I advance that conversation a bit into taking meaningful action. (2:07)

​In a couple of weeks I'll be heading to Northern MInnesota for a ski adventure. Listen in/watch to hear how far I plan to travel and some ideas about asking the right questions on the trail and in life.

​What do you like to do? Where could it fit into your life? Ski block workout 4 of 4. (3:14)

​This album is the complete reading of "A Tale of Two Trips - My Superior 2019 Story". Trip One is about what goes on the week leading up to the Superior 100 Mile Trail Race. Trip Two follows one runner on his journey from Gooseberry Falls to Lutsen, MN on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). Also known as the Sawtooth 100 because of the hills that seemingly never end. I hope this story inspires you to go find your edge!