I started drinking shakes in the ’70s to prepare for my first marathon in 1975. The marathon became a metaphor for my life and career. And I discovered what all marathon runners know – especially the slow ones: It’s not about the sprint. It’s not about how fast you’re going. It’s about being in it for the long haul.

I found that out at the 18th mile, when I hit the wall. The wall is that moment when you think you just can’t go any further. You think you’ve given all you’ve got.

There I was, trying to make it over Diamond Head – this big ass hill that felt like a mountain in Hawaii – and I thought I was going to drop at any moment. And some old geezer comes by and says to me, “Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.” And that’s what I did for the next 8 miles. I forgot about the finish line and just focused on the present. And I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

I realized I had enough juice to break through that wall and complete the marathon. I realized by changing my mindset to what is possible instead of letting the negative thoughts consume me..I reached my goal.

And that was an aha moment for me …a lightbulb moment because that’s when I realized that the wall was in my head, and I could do so much more than I thought I could. It was a gamechanger…. you can SHIFT YOUR MINDSET.

Why is it important to shift your mindset, or change your frequency? Where your focus goes, energy flows. That’s why it’s important to create a vision for your life.

Just like in the marathon, where I hit that wall at the 18th mile, every day we hit these proverbial walls. And what are these walls? It might be a stressful situation where you are feeling overwhelmed because you have too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Or it could be the people around you telling you that things are impossible, that you can’t achieve something, or you have a stupid idea.

Or it could be that you got on the scale and are feeling anxious because you put on a few pounds…and then what happens is we have this chorus of voices in our heads. The voices that tell us we’re not good enough, not smart enough, not thin enough, or just simply not enough in general.

Those gremlins that try to sabotage our confidence and well being.. Something I like to call the itty bitty sh*tty committee. But it is important to learn how to notice those thought patterns and tame those gremlins.

Toxic voices inside your head can slow down your progress and prevent you from following your passions and reaching your goals.. But it seems that people tend to give more time, care and attention to picking fruits and vegetables than they do their thoughts. When we’re at the store, most of us are conscientious about picking the best produce..by touching, smelling, and making sure it doesn’t have any bruises. But when it comes to our thoughts, it seems we’re not as careful. Yet, toxic thinking is as harmful to our health as toxic food.