Appetite and Attitude: A powerful example of positive thinking

I don't know anyone with more tenacity than Lance Mackey when it comes to goal pursuit. A cancer survivor with the odds stacked against him in many ways, Lance simply set his sights on his goal - 1st place in what is known as the "Last Great Race on Earth" - the Iditarod. On Tuesday, March 16, 2010, Lance Mackey made dog mushing history winning his 4th consecutive Iditarod race. What can we learn from Lance? It's about appetite and attitude.

Appetite and attitude are two attributes that Lance looks for in a dog. In a long-distance dog-sled race, a sled dog has to eat up to 10,000 calories a day, and it has to face the many challenges of the trail. This takes appetite and attitude, respectively.

The thing is, Lance doesn't expect anything from his dogs that he doesn't expect of and demonstrate in himself. This man has a big appetite and a positive attitude.

I first met Lance Mackey 250 miles into the 2007 Yukon Quest dog sled race. I was chasing the race as a fan in the deep cold of February in the Yukon. Even this first encounter taught me a great deal about the man. He was in the Pelly Crossing checkpoint preparing to get back on the trail when we met. He joked with me about an empty thermos. To understand why, I need to tell you more about Lance.

Lance had survived a cancer in 2001-02 that resulted in surgery to his throat and very aggressive radiation treatment. Among the many negative effects of the treatment was the loss of his salivary glands. This means he has to drink constantly, which is no simple thing at 40 below zero on the race trail. His thermos or water bottle is a constant companion.

At the Pelly checkpoint, Lance was friendly and made time to talk to me, a stranger. Lance is famous for his friendly, approachable manner, even when in the middle of a race! His intense goal focus does not diminish his humanity. In any case, when we met, he laughed at how he carried the thermos empty from the last checkpoint. In this brief encounter, I experienced first hand the positive attitude that really has come to define Lance Mackey. Despite his critical need for water, he didn't react angrily at his mistake. He was able to laugh and move on. And move on he did. That year he made mushing history by winning both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. Two 1,000-mile races only weeks apart.

I've spent time with Lance on two other occasions, as he has been a guest speaker for our provincial dog-sledding association. The last time was this past fall where I really had time to talk with Lance over lunch. Again, I was deeply impressed by this down-to-earth man who kept such a positive attitude on life. It's really important to understand the context of this positive attitude. This cancer survivor has to constantly ignore pain in his hands and feet, fights to gain weight in the same way most of us try to lose weight, will probably need a knee replacement this year, and because of poor circulation in his hands and feet (effects of the radiation treatment), he suffers in the cold (he even had what was otherwise a perfectly functional finger removed in order to lessen the pain). In sum, he faces constant challenges, yet he meets each head on without complaint.

Appetite and Attitude
Every basic book about human motivation that I know of speaks to both appetite and attitude as key elements of success. To achieve a goal, we must first have a strong commitment to the goal. We have to really want it. In Lance's words, we have to have "appetite."

Of course, that's just one key component. The other is attitude. To succeed in our goal pursuit, we also have to keep a positive attitude. This is an attitude that acknowledges that life is full of challenges, day-to-day challenges and set backs, that we must be willing to not just face - but to embrace - one challenge at a time, and get on with it.

As I write this blog entry tonight, Lance and the other mushers who competed in the 2010 Iditarod race are enjoying the end-of-race banquet in Nome. Each of the finishers will be celebrating now that they and their dogs have reached their goal. I wish I was there with them to hear the stories from the trail.

I've written before that there are many lessons we can learn from the trail. I can think of none more important than that offered by the champion of champions, Lance Mackey. Life takes appetite and attitude.

Congratulations Lance!

If you want to learn more about Lance, check out his Web site at the Comeback Kennel. You can also order his upcoming book How My Obsession with Dog Mushing Saved My Life.