"Will" Is Better than "Can"

I once saw a sign that listed different levels of optimism and their corresponding probability of success. They were:

• I did = 100%

• I will = 90%

• I may = 80%

• I can = 70%

• I might = 60%

• I think I can = 50%

I didn't bother looking at the ones below that, concerned I might absorb something negative. But what is surprising is that I saw this sign on a classroom wall 25 years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. I thought about this again yesterday, when I ran 4 x 800 meters on a treadmill a little harder than usual, in 3:00, 2:58, 2:58 and 2:58. Strangely enough, the hardest part was "convincing" myself to do it. Ultimately, getting through a hard workout - or anything difficult - is a triumph of belief over the demons of self-doubt.

In a rare twist to this way of thinking, I remember in two of my best races I didn't think of anything at all - no words, no thoughts, nothing except for my immediate competitor, who was my sole focus. This is perhaps the closest I've ever come to "running zen" in a race and I've often wondered how to return. I suspect it's a product of consistent practice and achievement, when words like "can" or "will" are no longer conscious decisions, but rather over time have become secondary nature.