When I was in high school, my brother ran cross-country on our high school track team in Florida. On the opposite side of the country, one of the most incredible runners of all time, Steve Prefontaine, was breaking all track records while running track for the University of Oregon.

Under the ground breaking coaching of Bill Bowerman (founder of Nike), Steve ignored personal pain and agony in order to get faster. When asked why he would put his body through such brutality, Steve answered, “To do less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”

Though Bill Bowerman went on cobbling shoes for his runner and later founded Nike, on May 30, 1975, Steve “Pre” Prefontaine was tragically killed in a car accident. But one thing’s for sure, he left it all out on the track. There was not a race inside him that day he’d left unraced. Not an ounce of running energy left unexpended.

You have a gift as well.