“You’re Already There!”

This article was written by Chad Schoonmaker and published by Crossroads Professional Coaching

Recently I decided to challenge myself. Some people meditate. Maybe you journal. Apparently, I sign up for physical suffering with a bib number attached to it. 

I registered for the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans and the Tiger 10K in Baton Rouge. Two 10K races. Two weeks apart.

Now let me be clear: I am not a runner. I’m barely a walker. I did take Power Walking in college for a few easy credits. The one and only takeaway from the entire course was:

Heel, toe. Heel, toe. Heel, toe.

Groundbreaking stuff, I know.

But honestly? You’d be surprised how often that phrase still pops into my head and I need the reminder. Just keep moving. Heel, toe.

Why Do We Sign Up for This Stuff?

I love races.

There’s something weirdly inspiring about thousands of strangers gathering together in mutual agreement:

“This is going to be terrible… but we’re doing it anyway.”

That kind of shared hardship, or delusion, really motivates me.

Training for races like these is supposed to take weeks. Maybe months if you’re ultra committed.  

I had every intention of training well. I started in February… then got hit with a nasty respiratory infection that completely wrecked my plans. So my official training strategy quickly became:

“Hope for the best and don’t die.”

Still, I ran the Crescent City Classic.

Did I win? Absolutely not.

Did I survive, avoid injury, and get a medal? Yes sir.

Then came the Tiger 10K two weeks later. And in a shocking turn of events, I did exactly zero running between races. Apparently my recovery strategy was just “trust the process.”

Mile Five

By mile five, I could see Tiger Stadium in the distance. I could hear Mike the Tiger roaring.

Dahh dahhh dahhh dahn! 

Glory was near.

Then my knee gave out.

Pain shot from my kneecap down to my ankle, back up my thigh, and into my hip. It felt like every joint in my lower body filed a formal complaint at the exact same time.

I remember thinking:

Well… this is how it ends.

Not dramatically of course. Just quietly collapsing across from the Greek Amphitheater while all my running friends sped past me.

Then a stranger running behind me gave me a gentle pat on the back and yelled:

“You’re already there!”

The Mindshift I Didn’t Expect

You’re already there.

Something about those words hit deeper than the race itself.

Because how often in life do we forget that?

We think success is somewhere out there.
We think confidence belongs to future versions of ourselves.
We think capability unlocks after another certification, another deal, another promotion, another year of experience.

But a lot of the time?

What we need is already in us.

We’re already there.

Not completely. Not perfectly. But maybe farther along than we realize.

1. You Already Have More Experience Than You Give Yourself Credit For

You may not have the title you want yet.

You may not have the office, the revenue, the followers, or the fancy LinkedIn headline that makes everybody think you’ve got it all figured out.

But look at what you’ve already survived.

Hard seasons.
Bad hires.
Difficult clients.
Missed goals.
Personal setbacks.
A global pandemic.
Reinventions.

That advent on new technology.
Long nights.
Learning things the hard way.

That counts.

Experience isn’t just years on a resume. It’s wisdom earned in the trenches.

Some of you, including myself, are waiting to feel “qualified” while the school of hard knocks has been qualifying you for years.

Your life experience is your diploma.

2. You Already Have Tools You’re Overlooking

We spend so much time chasing shiny new tools that we forget about the ones already sitting in the toolbox.

And listen, I’m not anti-new tools. AI is incredible. It absolutely can and should be part of your toolbox as a business owner.

But I’m talking about the basics we tend to overlook because they don’t feel flashy anymore.

Your ability to listen.
Your consistency.
Your network.
Your reputation.
Your work ethic.
Your discernment.
Your ability to stay calm while everybody else panics.

Those things build businesses.

Those are the tools that built the success you already have today.

Maybe they don’t need replacing. Maybe they just need dusting off.

Sometimes the next breakthrough doesn’t require something new.

Sometimes it requires using what’s already in your hands.

3. You’re Already Closer Than You Think

We underestimate progress because we live too close to it.

We spend so much time focused on how far we still have to go that we forget to appreciate how far we’ve already come. Long-distance running taught me that. Yes, you need to know where the finish line is, but you also need to stop and recognize the miles you’ve already survived to get there.

There’s real value in looking backward for perspective.

If you could meet the version of yourself from five years ago, would they even recognize you?

The lessons you’ve learned.
Resilience you’ve built.
Confidence you carry now.
The conversations you can handle today that once would’ve wrecked your whole week.

Growth is sneaky like that.

It happens slowly enough that we miss it while it’s happening. Then one day you look up and realize you’ve become stronger without even noticing.

A Friendly Reminder

I had a conversation recently with a friend who spent nearly a decade in a role that never really fit him.

He was dependable. Loyal. Capable. The kind of employee every company says they want.

But he never fully felt seen. Never fully utilized. You know the kind of role where you slowly start wondering:

“Maybe this is just who I am now.”

Earlier this year, something changed.

An opportunity opened up inside the company and he stepped into it. Today, he’s leading an entirely new team. People who once managed him now report to him.

But what stuck with me wasn’t the promotion.

It was what he said afterward:

“I’ve never felt more like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

Man… that stayed with me.

Because for ten years, it probably felt like nothing was moving.

Like the hard meetings, ignored emails, missed opportunities, and overlooked contributions were signs he was stuck.

But they weren’t.

Every frustrating encounter was still movement.
Setbacks were shaping him.
Every moment he felt unseen was preparing him for the place where his leadership would finally make sense.

Sometimes we think we’re falling behind when we’re actually just getting closer to where we’re supposed to be.

Keep Going

That stranger probably just meant I was close to the finish line.

And, he was right.

But those words landed bigger than the race.

Maybe you need to hear them too.

If you’re tired… keep going.
Maybe you’re doubting yourself… keep going.
If you think you’re behind… look ahead.

You may already have what it takes.
You may already be more ready than you think.
You are already there.