My #1 Lesson from American Ninja Warrior

It was Sunday.

Two days before show time.  Denver was giving us some wicked weather all week, but today was especially brutal.

A group of about 30 competitors had been in the walk on line for American Ninja Warrior for about 5 days at this point.  Park policy wouldn't allow us to camp out overnight, so we would stay there from 5am when the park opened until 11pm when it closed, with 3 hours of breaks each day and roll call at the beginning and end of each.  If you missed roll call, your name got bumped to the end of the line.

We were a hungry bunch.  Most had taken off of work, traveled across the country, essentially becoming homeless for 2 weeks in order for a chance to tackle the World's Toughest Obstacle course.  Their dream and passion and the reason they trained so intensely year after year was upon them.  Some had even spent 3 days camped out at other regional locations, didn't make the cut, then traveled to Denver for another shot.

Most of the week was spent sitting around watching the course get built, playing football or light workouts to get used to the mile high elevation, or hanging out in local coffee/sandwich shops during break.

Today was different though.  The elements put everyone's will to the test.  We all arrived from our warm cars/hotel/hostel rooms promptly at 5am to make roll call, where it had already started to drizzle rain.

Traditionally everyone showed up for roll call, then tucked away to sleep for another few hours until the sun came up.  That didn't happen.  By 6am, the rain turned to freezing rain.  And it continued.  By 7:30am, every single sleeping bag was soaking wet in freezing rain and every tent was seeping water inside.  The mental fortitude to take on the course was there, but no one expected our biggest enemy to be the weather.  Hypothermia was a very real threat for all of us that morning.

In the end, we all decided as a group that it was safest to find warmth and shelter, and reconvene
 every couple hours to do roll call.  Smart move considering it snowed until noon the following day.

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Tuesday. Game Day.

A year's worth of training and preparation came down to today.  As a walkon in the first 10 spots, I expected to be one of the first athletes to take on the course.  "Between 9-10pm" I told myself and others all week. "I'm running the course between 9-10pm".  I based my training, nutrition, and sleep around that time.  I wanted to make sure I was in peak performance mode by then. Traditionally, they take the first 10 walkons run the course first before letting the call-backs go.  I was #9.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way.  After the first 5 walk-ons took on the course, they pulled myself and the other 4 competitors to the side with a "hey we're going to let a few call-backs go then we'll bring you on."  So the logical thing to do was to stay light, stay warm.  Pretty tricky to do in 36 degree weather.

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2:30am.

Time to run the course.

After letting 65 athletes go in front of us, then taking a lunch break, they finally let us go.  By then it's too late.  The 5 of us are exhausted from bouncing around trying to keep warm in the freezing weather for 4 hours.  We missed our peak and still had the course in front of us.  The first man goes and falls on the 4th obstacle (out of 6). Next goes and falls on the 3rd.  Next goes and falls on the 2nd.  I go and fall on the first. Yup. First. The quintuple steps.  The obstacle I had the least worry over after 4 years as a track and field jumper
and hurdler wipes me out. Ice buildup on the steps may have had a part to do with it, the weather and poor timing may have as well.  But excuses aside, I didn't respect the course or the elements and took it on like it was a warm sunny day and I was at my peak.  There's always next year.

But I'm grateful to have run the course.  #10 goes and falls on the 5th obstacle.  And that's it.  Of the 30+ athletes camping out in freezing weather for 7 days, they only let 10 walk ons run. So yes, it certainly could have been worse for me.

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So what do I have to learn from the whole experience? What is my #1 take home lesson?

LIVE FOR THE JOURNEY, NOT THE OUTCOME.

Of the 10 days I spent in Denver, I had the least fun on actual competition day.  I spent 6 days building relationships and bonding with fellow ninjas, learning training tips, tricks, and techniques, networking and finding out all the best gyms to check out.  On the day of, we were all just treated like cattle with a number, herded into this section and that, pictures here, interviews there.  It's still a TV show after all.

But if I let my previous 2 years of training and week of essentially being homeless be defined by my performance the day of, I could consider myself a failure.  But I don't.  Because it wasn't about the outcome.  It was about the journey.  They gyms I've gone to and continue to explore.  The training I've done and continue to push myself in.  The people I've met and continue to meet.  And the community I've grown to be apart of.  Those things can't be defined by the 3 minutes of potential network television time we all look forward to getting.

So for today, I ask you to look at all the things you aspire to be in your life.  Your goals, your visions, your passions.  No doubt you've had failure along the way.  Roadblocks.  Obstacles.  You can't let those define you though.  It's the road you take and the experiences you have and the person you become along the way that really matters.  The same goes for your successes.  Bask in the glory of success, but not too long.  Set bigger goals, cast greater visions, never stop improving.

I'm still training for American Ninja Warrior.  And I'm going to continue training for as long as it's around.  Even if and when I do complete the entire course, I'll make sure to train harder and show up the following year.  Because it's not about the course at all.  It's who I'm becoming along the way.

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Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead lives of success, happiness, and personal fulfillment.  To learn more about how Mark can help you live on purpose, e-mail him at thatninjamark@yahoo.com or follow him onFacebook.