Joy and gratitude are two common themes that you hear during the Thanksgiving holiday season. For Elise Cranny, those popular and impactful concepts are things that she looks to put into practice in every season.
Joy takes on a different meaning for her because it’s the leading motivator behind what she does as a professional track and field athlete, but also how she looks to impact the world outside of the sport.
“Joy is what gives meaning to what we do and to life, relationships, and connection,” she said “And the thing I’ve come back to a lot is that the reason that I’m still running is because it’s something that brings me joy. And so I think that for me personally, it’s so important to have and to make sure I’m cultivating and working on. That joy provides a huge source of motivation. I think if I don’t have that joy, I think it’s really easy to start to question why you’re doing something, especially when it’s something that brings you so much joy. And I feel like that’s why I got into it, and what’s kept me going. So I think continuing to find that joy keeps me really motivated and inspired.”
The Perspective Of Joy
Cranny enjoyed a successful season on the track last year, as she won national titles in the women’s 10,000m, as well as the women’s 5,000m. She also was a member of the World Championship team that competed in Budapest last season. She believes being joyful and practicing gratitude centers her and allows her to see the bigger picture of things when she’s racing.
“I think joy is something that’s necessary for me in terms of taking some of the pressure off,” she said. “A quote I come back to a lot of is, taking what you do seriously, but not taking yourself too seriously. And I think that really goes hand in hand with joy in terms of like, okay, I’m gonna get the work in and be focused on this race, but that doesn’t have to mean so serious, no joy. And in fact, I think that I’ve found times when I’ve tried to do that are the times when I don’t run my best. And so I think the joy is that motivating factor for me and just like really energizing. I think being thankful and practicing gratitude – I really think it helps ground me.
I feel like being thankful or having gratitude helps you even look at how far you’ve come instead of being kind of overwhelmed by how far you still have to go. So I think it kind of brings you back to the present moment of wow, I never would have thought I would be at this point, I’m thankful for that. I think it’s harder to do in the moment, but I’m trying to be better about also being thankful for kind of those lows and more challenging times because I think they make the joy that much higher and the highs higher when you’ve gone through them, because it’s not just a linear path.”
Cranny had her ups and downs throughout last season, but each moment gave her a unique perspective on joy, and having sustained joy in the journey. That perspective also brought about key reminders of why she loves what she’s been gifted with, which is the sport of running.
“I think the biggest thing that I learned is taking it seriously but loosening the grip on the outcome of it,” she said. “I think I became very outcome and time oriented and I feel like that just brought stress and anxiety that is kind of counterintuitive. I guess a big part of the reason why I love running is because it’s so freeing. It’s when I feel like my mind is really clear, it’s when I can connect with people. And I feel like last year, I think I put a lot more pressure on myself. And I think that kind of led to a lot more focus on the outcome. I guess the analogy I come back to is just gripping something so tightly, and thinking that because it’s a big goal, and because you want it, gripping it harder and doubling down is the way to get there. And I think that’s the biggest thing I learned is finding joy and approaching it in a sustainable way is the way that you get there, not trying to force it to happen.”
Fall’s Fresh Start
The fall brings about change, especially with the arrival of the autumn season. For Cranny, the fall brought about a new beginning, as she left the Bowerman Track Club and headed back to her home state of Colorado to run for Team Boss.
It also brought about a powerful reflection that’s given her a key reminder that puts things in perspective for her.
“I feel like in a lot of ways, I feel like this fall has been me kind of reclaiming that joy, but also I think taking more ownership over my career,” she said. “I think there’s a time when it’s like, okay, you’re getting like the lay of the land and professional running. And I think that was really important for me the last four and a half years. But something I’m trying to work on is identifying what works well for you. I know that when I’m joyful and happy in a good spot, I’m gonna run my best. And I think sometimes I don’t always listen to that inner voice of things like, okay, you’ve done this for several years, you’ve had a lot of experiences, you’ve had the ups and downs. So you’ve learned things and so I think this fall has been really transformative in listening to that inner voice and thinking more about what do I need to not only run my best but be the best version of myself and be the most happy joyful version of myself because I know that that will lead to better outcomes.”
Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to show gratitude and practice joy, whether near or far away. While her table will be filled with the Thanksgiving meal necessities, such as turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and various casserole dishes, there’s one thing in particular that Cranny will be most thankful for.
“The people in my life,” she said. “All the people in my life. Human connection, I feel that’s what the world is about, and I feel like I felt that very strongly this year.”
Elise Cranny seems to have found the secret to what makes a successful life and career. Thanks for sharing that piece of wisdom on a day set aside for giving thanks.