There is a symmetry to life and all experiences and lessons compound to prepare you for every new challenge. But it isn’t always obvious how the experiences and lessons may relate or when they apply.
During a run, I reflected on the effort and investment required while preparing for my first half marathon. I realized how similar my experiences were starting my business compared to training for my first big race years ago. Regardless of context, be it business or running, the journey requires several critical elements and decisions to reach the finish line successfully:
Vision
To know where the finish line is, you need to know where you are going.
Every great athlete has a vision of what personal success and achievement looks like. If you do not define that vision and associated goals, the path to success becomes unclear and fettered with competing choices. Without vision we lack the focus and determination to drive us in the right direction on the right path. Running with a vision enables us to make the best choices for our running style and distance goals. We are better able to decide the approach to training to achieve endurance, define the schedule to attain the distance goals, and set the right pace to create balance. Similarly, every successful entrepreneur or business has one thing in common, a strong, actionable, future focused vision.
Timing is Everything
The better you are at finding the magic pace the easier it will be to reach the finish line.
A great timepiece allows each runner to go the distance, whether it be training for miles or perfecting their pace. As they progress through their training, they gain insight into their needed areas of improvement and an ability to maximize their performance during the race. Immediate feedback allows the runner to assess real time what works best for them and what training enables progress and advances the game.
The entrepreneur lives and dies by the number of minutes in the day, making sure those minutes are spent on meaningful pursuits. When you first start out you are the master of every domain from CEO, CFO, Business Development, IT Security, Administration and CCM (Chief Coffee Maker)! Time management is essential, not only to manage the obvious daily activities, but to achieve balance and a pace that is sustainable and optimized for success. Focus on choosing activities that move the business forward and minimize the noise and time wasted.
Fuel and Training
Garbage-in = garbage-out.
The right ratio of nutrients is critical to support the resource demands on an athlete’s body during a race. Understanding the demands being placed on your body and the requirements to meet these demands, will help you choose the proper nutritional profile. Food isn’t the only fuel required to support the journey, we also need knowledge! The runner must have access to experiential learning to help fine tune the performance and improve. This includes running with friends, running clubs, coaching, or cross training.
Likewise, entrepreneurs are pushed to the limit every day and operating at maximum capacity, often with an empty or garbage filled tank. This is where we often run into trouble, we fail to recognize our most precious resource is our mind and body and make choices that don’t support the vision. Incorporating time to establish balance and meet our resource needs, raises our performance capacity. Eating a nutritious diet, engaging in exercise programs, and exposure to new ideas, people and coaching keeps you in optimal condition to achieve the vision.
The Foundation
Your footwear symbolizes a wise investment in your foundation, one that will carry you through every mile, over every obstacle and to each success.
One the most underestimated pieces of equipment for new runners is the running shoe. The shoe has to carry you for the full race, but also support you through many training miles preparing you for the big race. As a new entrepreneur, you will walk many miles on the path to success and the acquisition of that first client. You don’t only have to look sharp, but you also have to endure the journey.
The Epiphany
It was never about crossing the finish line, it was about the moments and the lessons that encompassed my journey.
Each moment worked together to unlock the next level of proficiency and presented a new opportunity to succeed. Life boils down to numerous lessons, innovation and achievement are realized when you are able to apply them to novel situations, such as starting a new business.