06.12.07
What Marathons Can Teach You About Your Business Part 1
I finished walking my first marathon in San Diego a week ago.
It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
But, it was also an amazing accomplishment.
One thing that struck me while hoofing it toward the finish line was the similarities between running a business and running a marathon (or in my case, walking a marathon). I’ll cover 5 altogether — 2 this week and 3 next.
1. It’s all about the mind. There was a quote posted around 18, 19 miles that said “I run marathons because after mile 20, it’s all about your mind.” Or something like that. (My cognitive skills were fading at that point.)
Basically, what that means is after you’ve walked 20 miles, there’s nothing left. You’re exhausted, your leg muscles are a tangled mass of pain and all you want to do is cry because you STILL have over 6 miles to go. Those are probably the longest 6 miles of your life.
So what keeps you going? Sheer willpower and determination.
You WILL cross that finish line. No matter what. So you keep going. Despite the pain and exhaustion.
This is the same way successful people feel about their businesses. They WILL be a success. No matter what. No matter that they’re feeling frustrated and depressed right now. No matter that they’ve just experienced a huge failure. They still get up and keep going.
And, because of that determination, they do become a success.
But actually it’s more than determination. They WANT to succeed. That’s really what it comes down to.
Think of it this way Read the rest of this entry »
