The Real Reason Why Forrest Gump Started Running

The Real Reason Why Forrest Gump Started Running

I don’t buy that whole line of bull that Forest Gump spews about “That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run.”

That’s not the reason Forrest Gump started running. 

Not One Bit!

Here’s why…

** His mom just died in the same house he grew up in, delivering the famous “life is like a box of chocolates” line. (I hope I can deliver a witty line before I die.) 

** Then, Forrest Gump’s love, Jenny, comes back into his life and he said having Jenny back in his life was the “happiest time of his life! Just like peas and carrots.” 

Then, it rains in the movie…

PS- Nothing good happens when it rains during movies.

***When he woke up, Jenny had left in the middle of the night, after rejecting his marriage proposal and leaving him with a little present.***

[Tweet “Forest Gump was in pain. “]

Forest Gump was in pain. 

He was hurting. It was his bottom. 

And we’ve all been there. Our bottom.

It’s different for everybody. But, on the valley is where change takes place. It’s a motivating factor. We can’t live on the mountaintop of life and success.

That’s why Forrest Gump started! 

It sucks! 

That’s the reason why Forrest Gump started running that day. And the bottom is what causes our own change as well. 

We need to want to change and get better so badly, that we will do whatever it takes. If we are comfortable, then we need more pain before change will occur. 

Now, the past is okay to look at, but we can’t stare at it. 

[Tweet “Now, the past is okay to look at, but we can’t stare at it.”] 

It’s like staring into the abyss. Once we stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at us! 

The reason why Forrest Gump started running WAS NOT the reason why he kept running. He certainly didn’t keep running his whole life. His why changed along the way. He turned his excuse into a reason “why.” 

He said it later near the end of the running sequence montage of the movie, “You need to put the past behind you before you can move on.” 

In our own life, it’s okay to have various motivations for change once we begin the path. It can start with pain and fear,  but our why changes. Our why needs to involve passion, goals, dreams, and a vision of who we want to become. The pain needs to be accompanied by love. 

Would Forrest have kept running if it wasn’t for all of the people who joined him?

Perhaps so, but there’s no denying that he did have a lot of company with him. 

He ran for three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours.

That’s usually enough time to run past the pain. Depends… I do know that running helps my own mental health and mental toughness.  What’s your answer to Why Forrest Gump started running? 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. DRB & associates coach executives and professional athletes. Some clients have included three different winners on the PGA Tour, Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens.