I have a habit of becoming obsessed with things.
I can't just run a few miles a day. I have to run a marathon without ever running another race in my life.
I can't run just one marathon. I need to run 3 marathons to prove to myself that I actually can run marathons.
When I was in high school I decided I was going to be a life guard even though I had never taken a swimming lesson in my life. I had a hard time with the tests because I didn't know what the different strokes were called. But I became a life guard.
I didn't just play the cello. I had to be the first chair cellist in most orchestras I ever played in.
This may sound like gloating to you. But in my mind I quite literally see it as a mental problem.
I also couldn't drink a couple beers. I had to drink a entire case at a time.
2 to 3 pots of coffee a day.
2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day.
I didn't just quit one thing on July 9, 2003. I quit all my vices: alcohol, smoking and coffee. All at once.
Life is often one obsession after another with me.
So when Josh S. at the board of elections said 1086 signatures was the most he had ever counted before, I was proud but also not overly surprised.
I have a hard time stopping. It has its pros and it has its cons.
I'm very relieved to have gotten that many signatures. I needed a minimum of 372.
This achievement was unique for me because it would have been entirely impossible without you.
I am so humbled and thankful for all the support and goodwill I've been given over this stage of the journey. Many of you went out of your way to get me signatures. I'm just some guy off the street that asked for your support. And so many of you have given it to me.
I'm truly thankful for everything you have done to help me along this journey.
So what's next?
There should be a decision by the board of elections 10 days after the filing deadline, which is September 7. So we'll see what they say.
Stephanie Warsmith, reporter at the Akron Beacon Journal, covering Akron and local politics, asked me how confident I was that I would get on the ballot.
I told her I felt about 40% confident.
I'm not going to discuss my feelings on this topic in this post. But you should know that there is much more involved as to whether I get on the ballot than if I have 372 valid signatures.
But this is what I want to leave you with: This is how life is.
We often times get all wrapped up in the outcome of things.
These things are all out of our hands. We have no control over what other people decide to do with our work.
The only thing we have control over is the work.
Just focus on the work and have faith that it will be received well by those that judge you.
When we focus just on the work and less on the outcome it lets our work get better. And then that increases our chances of being well received.
When we focus on the outcome the work suffers and so do our chances of getting our desired outcome.
Love what you do. Just focus on that. It will become its own reward.
Thank you once again for your unbelievably generous support and love. It means the world to me.
Paid For By The People for Sage Lewis