Blog #768: That Sinking Gut Feeling

I’m writing this on October 24.
It’s the last Saturday before Extra Mile Day.

I’ve got that sinking gut feeling.

______

One full working week remains before November 1.

And we’re 58 cities short of reaching 500.

Fifty-freaking-eight.

For 18 years…

We’ve worked to make Extra Mile Day THE day when communities recognize their unsung volunteer heroes.

Last year, 510 cities participated.

We’ve reached 500 cities every year for the past 12 years.

And this year?

Currently…

442.

I’m staring at a number that makes my gut raw.

______

We can pour our hearts into something.

Give every fiber of our being into making it happen.

And still come up short.

I’m feeling that.

Now.

______

Let’s get you on the same page.

You busted your butt at a job…

and listened to the boss take all the credit for your work.

Gave your heart to someone you loved HARD…

and watched them give theirs to somebody else.

Went to the gym for 90 minutes, 5x a week, for a month…

and watched the scale refuse to acknowledge all your sweat and pain.

Your exact version might be different.

But we each have our own painful stories of “going the EXTRA mile”…

And still falling a half-mile short of our goal.

______

In August…

We broke our record for how quickly we reached 100 cities.

I got cocky.

I wrote about it.

I thought we’d blow past 500 this year.

Maybe even reach 560.

It’s like counting your 18-hole golf score after you’ve parred the first four holes.

There’s a lot of course left.

And sometimes (usually!)…

The golf course bites back.

______

So here we are with only ONE week left.

But we have a plan.

We’re calling 50 new mayoral offices.

Sending hundreds of emails.

Going back to cities we’ve reached out to FIVE times before and asking…again.

But still I know…

That EVEN if we do all of this…

We STILL might come up short.

We’ve never been here before.

We’ve never brought in 58 cities during the final week.

Sure…

A few cities usually straggle in.

But 58?

Please give me permission to say what I’m feeling.

“Holy, sh*t!”

______

I won’t insult you by pretending I’m not stressed.

I am.

This is personal to me.

Results matter to me.

Volunteerism matters to me.

Extra Mile Day matters to me.

It matters because every participating city helps shine a light on people who don’t need a parade, a paycheck, or a plaque to keep doing good for others.

They just do it.

That’s why I created Extra Mile Day.

To clap for people who don’t get clapped for.

The volunteers.

______

I hate going backwards.

But I’ve been in tough spots before…

And found a way through.

One of those times, I had every reason to quit.

Let’s go back to before Extra Mile Day even WAS.

In 2009, things also hit a rocky spot.

It was my Extra Mile America Tour.

Riding a bike solo 4,000+ miles across the U.S.

Holding events in 21 cities.

Interviewing 200+ people “going the extra mile” through volunteerism.

Personally giving $10,000 to those who inspired me…extra.

It was a 90-day tour.

BUT…

After the second day…

At 11 p.m., I got the email.

“I quit.”

Finding a road manager had been difficult from the start.

I’d paid them IN FULL in advance.

They drove the van that carried my extra bike.

Helped me set up for each city event.

Took photos along the way.

Videotaped all my interviews so I could remember people later.

Helped me when I had flat tires.

And when I crashed.

I panicked.

I called my publicist and event managers.

The tour had imploded.

Their advice?

It was a “sign.”

“Quit.”

No road manager.

Few sponsors.

Big media was slow in coming.

My out-of-pocket expenses were rising.

I heard them.

I wasn’t listening.

I was going to keep going.

My answer to myself?

“How can I create an event about ‘going the extra mile’…

and quit when the miles get TOO hard for ME?”

______

It was time to earn my Extra Mile Stripes the hard way.

I scrambled to find someone to help me.

EVERY.

SINGLE.

DAY.

There were three who helped before a permanent person could take me to the finish line in Boston.

And each day…

I pedaled.

I showed up at events.

All the way to Boston.

Extra Mile Day was born because of THIS tour.

______

The mantra lives in me.

Out of necessity to survive.

Out of necessity to strive.

“Go the extra mile.”

______

I can’t promise we’ll reach 500 cities.

I can’t promise you’ll reach your goal, even if you give it your best.

And I won’t pretend our results don’t matter.

But I believe this…

Even if we don’t get where we wanted to go…

We’ll know we gave it everything we had.

Perhaps our best efforts won’t change the outcome.

But they change us.

______

This last week before November 1…

We’re going for it.

Because there are new cities to reach.

There are new mayors to introduce ourselves to.

And there are so many more volunteers who deserve to be seen.

Go the extra mile.

That’s what building Extra Mile Day taught me.

And it still does.

S.

PS: The top photo? Me on the Extra Mile America Tour. Riding toward the next city. Thinking. Stressing. Not knowing THEN that Extra Mile Day would grow from it all.

PPS: Update: On Thursday, October 29, at 12:53 p.m….496. We’re not done.

PPPS: The list.

(Audio version)