Apr 30, 2020
This may be the perfect interview for the times we find ourselves in.
Jimmy Choi was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease when he was 27 years old.
He spent the next eight years in denial, ignoring the Parkinson's, gaining weight, walking with a cane... until, one day, he fell down the stairs while holding his infant son.
That was the wake up call Jimmy needed to turn his life around.
First he got educated about Parkinson's.
Then he started walking with his cane.
Then he started walking without his cane.
Then running.
Then running a 5K.
Then running a half marathon.
Then running a marathon.
Then running many marathons.
Then competing in "ninja" competitions with his daughter.
Then competing on American Ninja Warrior...
Three times!
In other words, Jimmy knows something about overcoming obstacles.
One of those things, he says, is that you have to give yourself a license to fail.
Failure is not a problem if you learn from it.
When confronted with a new obstacle, you'll almost inevitably fail as you try to figure it out.
You just have to keep trying and learning and adapting until you do figure it out.
One of the silver linings of this current pandemic is that, while it has presented us all with unimaginable challenges, it has also given each of us a license to fail.
There are no sacred rules anymore.
You can try just about anything.
A good example of that is this very podcast.
The sound isn't great. (Sorry.) But I'm trying something new, recording with Zoom. And if you can bear the audio, I promise Jimmy's wisdom is worth it.
Also, be sure to stay for the end when we do our first ever podcast workout.
Huge thanks to Jimmy for being a great friend and inspiration for me.
#EveryMileMatters!