Happiness and Exceptionality

Happiness breeds exceptionality, and exceptionality breeds happiness.

There is a lot of talk now about exceptionalism, which has been defined at Wikipedia.org as “the perception that a country, society, institution, movement, or time period is ‘exceptional’ (i.e., unusual or extraordinary) in some way”.

John J. Miller, Director of the Herbert H. Dow II Program in American Journalism at Hillsdale College, wrote in his “Football and the American Character” article in the September, 2013, issue of Imprimis, “It may be that sports are a manifestation — or possibly even a source — of American exceptionalism.”

This made me think about endurance sports and the word exceptionality, which has been defined at Wiktionary.org as “the quality of being exceptional”.

I walked the cool, lightning-delayed, and rainy 2013 Houston Half Marathon last Sunday with my wife, and along the way we met two half-marathoners who exemplified exceptionality and happiness.

One half-marathoner was a 43-year-old woman by the name of Brandy. The other was a 15-year-old young man — a tenth-grader — by the name of Luis.

I believe that each one demonstrated my thesis: that happiness breeds exceptionality, and that exceptionality breeds happiness.

Happiness Breeds Exceptionality

Brandy told us that she had changed her lifestyle a year earlier. By changing her diet (going gluten-free) and by training for this — her first! — half marathon, she lost something like seventy pounds in the interim.

Brandy’s exceptional story reminded me of that of Colleen Murphy, the 120-pounds-losing founder of TheFitBee.com and a now-ultramarathon runner who continues to push herself to new physical achievements.

Luis told us that his parents were from El Salvador and that he decided at the tender age of 15 and on his own to complete his first half marathon through this race. We all surmised that no other student from his high school was running a half marathon that Sunday morning, and we concluded that what Luis was doing was indeed exceptional.

Luis reminded me a bit of an athletically mightier version of who I was in high school: someone who was too shy to be on a track team but who trained privately to run a 5-mile Turkey Trot each November.

Brandy exuded so much youthful happiness that my wife and I mistakenly guessed that she was in her late twenties or early thirties.

Luis was low-key but quick to smile, something that you don’t typically see in a 15-year-old American.

Brandy and Luis were strangers to each other before the race, but I believe that each one attempted this exceptional activity because of a happy spirit and a positive attitude toward attempting something … well … exceptional!

Exceptionality Breeds Happiness

Because my wife and I walked with Luis and Brandy from about mile 8 to within shouting distance of the finish line, we got to witness exceptionality breeding happiness in each of them.

Each one clearly knew that he or she was doing something exceptional, and the excitement in their voices and on their faces grew as we got closer to the finish line.

When my wife advised Luis that it was finally safe to switch from walking to running toward the finish, he took off in a sprint with a joyful exuberance that was impossible to miss.

When the organizer of Brandy’s training program met her around mile 12.75 to cheer her toward the finish, Brandy picked up her pace as she beamed with delight.

Which Comes First?

“Which comes first — happiness, or exceptionality?” might be your question at this point.

I would reply, “Does it matter?”

If these two states are inextricably linked, then it makes sense to me to pursue one, the other, or both.

This brings me to my final point:
[Tweet “Happiness and the exceptionality of endurance running and walking go together.”]

Do You Agree?

Do you agree that happiness and exceptionality naturally go together?

Do you agree that endurance runners and walkers tend to be happier than the general population?

I would love to know, so please leave a comment below!