The phrase “mind over matter,” can mean many things. It’s a phrase that explains in simple words that the intellectual powers of your mind can override threats, difficulties, and problems in your life. To me, it means that I can overcome any obstacle that gets in my way. Being a cross country runner of almost 5 years, I’ve had to deal with pouring rain, mud puddles, and pain while running. I’ve always made it to the finish line, along with everyone on our team. When I’m running and freezing cold; my hands feel like they can’t move, when it’s pouring rain; it feels like pins are stuck in my legs, and when I’m running through deep mud puddles, my feet want to go numb. Yet I make it to the end. I do this in by getting a motivating song stuck in my head and match my breathing to the songs beat, or I just stare straight ahead in front of myself so I don’t think. I do these things because it helps me push myself. In other words, I run by the phrase of “mind over matter.”

I can’t even count how many people I hear talking about the obstacles they have in day to day life and how they don’t believe they’ll find a way around them. When it comes time for us to run our miles in gym class, I see multiple people walking the entire thing that could being running it, even if it’s just for one or two laps. I even see people who try their hardest to run the mile when it’s hard them, even though most of the people who are walking, could in fact, be running. Those people who try to run the mile but feel as though they can’t are a perfect example for being the type of person who thinks life is about “mind over matter.”

You can do whatever you want to do. You just need guts, ambition, a great outlook on life, and the realization that you can almost always beat the odds.