Sport has taught me a lot about myself. As an asthmatic, my childhood was spent watching my friends run around parks. By my teenage years I started learning how to control my respiration through yoga and by college I was running cross country. Later on I took up triathlon were I tried to walk on water as far as I could since I swim like a lead balloon.
From running to riding a bike, sport helped me discover myself and teach me important life lessons. One of them is managing challenges.
Most of the time we focus on the challenge rather than the goal. It’s a common trap, we whine and complain about something or someone and forget why we are in this process to start with. We focus too closely on what doesn’t work rather than think about where we want to be when it does work. There needs to be a shift in mindset and this mindset shift is important.
Interestingly when I look online I find many bloggers who have developed this mindset thanks in part to their favorite sport.
Bloggers and sport
Yes there will be challenges and the road to becoming successful online or in your favorite sport is paved with many thankless hours of training. In sport, like in life we aim to get past challenges, past our fears of failure and win. Success in sport is measured in time, goals, touch-downs, it’s easy. In business success is linked to profit, no matter what your gross income is, if you have nothing to show for at the end of the month because of loans, overheads, payroll, you aren’t winning.
Focusing on the goal
One simple strategy can help you get past the roadblocks you will encounter. Focusing on the outcome.
Most elite athletes use visualization techniques to prepare for a big event. Visualization has been called many things, but the underlying principle is the same:
- Create a mental image of what you want to happen or feel when you reach your goal
Obviously just focusing on the goal without having the required training won’t help much. I can visualize winning the Tour de France for years, if I don’t train I won’t make it to the qualifying rounds.
But just like the physical work is important in any sport, the mental side of things is often neglected. Unless you are an elite athlete you probably don’t have a coach which prepares you for a big event and helps you to visualize your desired outcome.
Most of the time we simply get bogged down with the challenge and what is stopping us from reaching out goal. We forget how the goal looks like in the first place.
Since it’s the Tour this month I thought this video of Lance Armstrong brilliantly demonstrates that looking forward and keeping your mind on the goal – not the challenge – brings the win. Notice how the rider next to him simply stopped, his focus was on the fallen rider not the goal.
How about you?
Are you focusing on the challenge rather than your goal?
How do you cope with roadblocks in your life?
Hi I'm a coach who believes life is an adventure, and entrepreneurs need to cultivate an adventure mindset to succeed.
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice post, thank you. Personally, I like to visualize the goal by describing it. What does it look like? What structure will get us there? What activities will we be engaged in? But I personally also try to make sure that the road to the goal is a good one, a fun one, and satisfying one.
Thank you for stopping here Joanna. Yes the journey is the best part of reaching the goal, once we get there, it’s time to start again
Hi, John.
Saying that I am not great in sports is an overstatement because I suck at it. I tried to dribble a basketball and it ran away from me. I ventured into baseball and instead of hitting the ball, it hit my face instead. I don’t even fare much in swimming. I only got as far as the flutter kick and after that I was completely hopeless.
But, I do know about challenges and overcoming them. In 2005, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and I went crazy for a year there because it was pretty debilitating and the medications brought on a whole lot of complications including depression. I even quit my job at the media because of it. However, when I woke up from my drug-induced depression, I faced the challenge of overcoming UC and its complications and went into web content writing. I also started with my book and wrote poems regularly, which got sidetracked because of the web content writing thing, but which still led me to a good thing because I am now blogging and enjoying it. I also found Kaarina who encouraged me to go back to my book, my poems and even my sketches. The first two are doing great now, the third not so, I seem to have lacked my eye for proportions and everything I sketch now looks like a product of a chicken scratching to me.
The goal that I was so focused on when I started working at overcoming my UC and its myriad complications was rediscovering my passion in writing. Because I left media just a few months after I got an award for best in feature writing which is one of the highlights in any journalist’s career, I was pretty down for a while and thought I will never write again. I am glad I conquered that particular challenge in my life because it got me this blogging job that I so enjoy and it has made me know amazing people whom I believe will continue help me change my life for the better.
So, thank you, John, for sharing your childhood and for writing about challenges. We all need a reminder every now and then and who better to remind us than you.
” In business success is linked to profit, no matter what your gross
income is, if you have nothing to show for at the end of the month
because of loans, overheads, payroll, you aren’t winning.”—- I really thought this was the key of the article in many ways John, as it’s a subject I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. ‘Winning’ is a funny thing in the blogosphere. Sometimes we confuse it with ‘followers’ and ‘klout’ and all that other stuff. But winning, at least for me, means that other than forming incredible relationships with great dudes in France that I’m making way more than I’m spending. I really do think many people forget that until all the sudden one day it hits them and they think—Uh oh, I better start making some money so as to make all of this work.
Great stuff man, and neat to hear about your childhood, would never have guessed that.
Marcus
Love the post, John (and you already know that I love the site as well). Great lessons in reflecting on sports challenges and how we deal with them. I have gotten back into running lately and found myself really slacking off this week. Low energy levels, too many late nights working, don’t know. I struggle with listening to my body and pushing ahead or listening to my body and taking a break. Sometimes, there is value in hanging back and reflecting (don’t hate, it’s true!).
As you know, I’m all for going for it, whatever your it might be. I’m also a huge fan of planning for it so that you have the stamina to get there!
Enjoyed this very much, John.
I hear you Erica, right now I am zero interest in running (from my usual 3 runs aweek). I think I am going to listen to my body and my mind, take a break and start again when I miss it. On the other side, I have been biking a lot more, so I can still eat all the ice cream I find.
John, I could tell it was the team at Bonsai that helped you redesign your site – the overall feeling here reminds me a little of Danny Brown’s blog
This is an interesting article. Focus on the goal in mind, or focus on the process? Keep your mind in one direction, or do as Armstrong did and remain open to unexpected possibilities? What we do and how we deal with challenges will differ from one person to the next, but my own take is a bit of a paradox.
I overcome challenges because I don’t view them as challenges.
If I find myself with a challenge, I do my best to look at it from an enjoyable angle. Why am I doing this in the first place? What’s the reasoning here? If it’s worth doing because it’s my desire, then I’ll focus on that and do the work out of love. Once that mentality clicks in, the challenge is gone.
Or, if I still can’t bring myself to do something, I’ll question why I started it. If I doubt that, then if it’s possible, I’ll take steps to drop it.
Each situation (and challenge) is different, and we must adapt to fit each one. No ‘one-size-fits-all’ here
I love that picture John..I’d love to try walking on water sometime. I was reading recently about our bodies natural response to being pushed outside of its comfort zone, how with patience and consistency it learns to adapt to what’s being asked of it. I think it’s our minds that can be the stubborn old goats, lol. I’m trying to take up new physical activity at the moment as have stopped erhmm..( smoking), but meeting a lot internal resistance to the discipline. I’m going to get my visualisation on and start focusing on the end result. Loveeeeeee, the new site by the way..woop woop, it looks awesome
This was taken on a beach in Muscat, Oman at the start of sprint triathlon. Thanks for the thumbs up on the site, we never know until we put it out there if we are the only ones who think it looks good.
John, this new site is BEAUTIFUL, and this post leaves me wanting to write a comment that could go on for days. The topic/analogy of sports to business is so close to my heart, and so spot on, my friend.
First, thank you so much for the lovely comment and tip of the hat: I’m honoured.
“Keep your eye on the prize”…it’s an interesting way of saying be aware and committed to your goal. But it also requires that you move from what I call telescopic view to microscopic view…panorama goal to in-the-moment challenges.
When I worked with athletes, we of course always set a goal: first place, gold medal, top of the podium. However, we realized that if the focus was solely on the goal, the micro-adjustments that would need to be made, based on fluctuating circumstances and unexpected turns of event, would be missed.
My analogy was climbing a mountain. I’d say: Look at the mountain peak. That’s our goal. See it, visualize it, imprint it into your mind, heart and soul. See it when you close your eyes. Know it is yours. BUT, don’t look at it throughout your journey, or you’ll miss the crevasses, obstacles and dangers that will present themselves. “Visualize” the outcome but “see” what presents on your path.
I think your video of Lance demonstrates that. His heart, mind and soul were focused on the goal, but his split-second reaction was his ability to shift instantly from the panoramic view to the microscopic view.
This is what we need to do in business as well. Do not focus on the challenges and problems: they will arise. Visualize the end goal, see the challenges and problems and develop an ability to “bike” through them….otherwise, you’ll be like the biker who stopped at that first challenge.
Oh my,…I could go on…and on…and on…visualization, imagery, goal-setting are all passions of mine. You’ve prompted me John, to write a blog post (actually, I think I just wrote it here:)
I’ve always said: when it comes to dealing with elite/Olympic athletes, it’s not what’s going on in their bodies, it’s what’s going on in their heads that determines the outcome. And we’re really all “Olympians” in business. The old quote “whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right” is so, so true. Cheers! Kaarina
This is a seriously great way to differentiate visualizing and seeing. And yes, this is a blog post. Or series!
Hi Kaarina,
Yes being able to move between the micro and the macro is crucial. I really like this video of Lance because it shows he is 100% focused on where he wants to go, not where the obstacle is.
You describe it beautifully with your mountain climbing analogy.
It is one of my favorite topics so I can’t wait to read your post
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think at the Olympic level most athletes are physically the same, they differ mostly by their mental game right?
John, I totally agree. At the “best of the best” elite/Olympic level, the mental game is the critical factor.
But we also need highly skilled coaches at the beginner levels, and we have it opposite in most situations. We put the “well intentioned” parent or greenhorn coach at the beginner level, and the “best of the best” coaches at the elite level.
While I agree that the Olympic level coaches need to be top drawer, we’ve got it all backwards at the lower/beginner levels. Here’s where children learn quickly, comprehensively, and the bad habits they form here (and they do) are very difficult to break at later stages. That’s why I cry when I see well-intentioned..and to be blunt, incompetent coaches working with little ones. Not only do beginners need excellent coaching from the outset, they deserve it. And the tools of visualization, mental rehearsal, mental toughness, distraction awareness, etc. need to be taught to tots. But I’m going on again…another post, I believe:)
So my long winded answer could have been: Yes. The mental game separates the wheat from the chaff at the elite levels. Cheers! Kaarina
I couldn’t agree more. With the right coaching at the start, this also means you are given the skills and support to reach a higher level.
This brings to me to another one of my favorite topics, education and how we fail our children before they even get started.
John, this is a wake up call for me. I am guilty about getting bogged down with the process and the challenges and forget to reset or reevaluate what i’m doing so that i can make it to my goal.
I think it must be an old remnant of my old life where i just let life happen rather than focus on living life to the fullest. I’m not sure actually.
Gotta keep your eye on the prize….!!
Bonjour Annie, I think we are all guilty
When things get busy we loose track of what the big picture is.
Hey, he cut across the field…………..you can’t do that………c’mon Lance, first it was the doping now it’s the shortcuts………….:)
Sports analogies are very appropriate and to take it a step further, when you say just because you can visualize competing or winning the Tour de France but it wouldn’t be realistic w/out the proper training that is so true. How much time and training do you think Lance Armstrong put in to be the elite athlete he is? Flip that now, and how many people are willing to put the same amount to time and training to be an elite (whatever your paying job it) producer? I mean it is your paying gig, right? Don’t you think you would do everything you could do to be the ‘best of the best’? I see too many people just trying to wing it and not willing to take it to the next level.
If you would commit to that degree, I believe it would take you past many challenges.
Great site man; so @DannyBrown:disqus did this for you? Good stuff……….
Hope your day went well.
Bill, Mr @dannybrown:disqus and his great designer Lisa did it all for me.
I thought it came with all the posts already written, apparently not
Couldn’t agree more about comparing start athletes and the hours they put honing their craft compared to entrepreneurs.
Just like @ginidietrich:twitter wrote about today, how much time do they spend working ON their business not in it?
Yeah, my bad – I did ask @LisaKalandjian:twitter is she could install posts, but seemingly she’s only a design whiz – who knew?
I’ll join the crowd for a moment to congratulate you on a great looking site- simply beautiful. I think that athletics are a great example of how our will to achieve can take us places that we might not otherwise reach.
I wanted to play football, but my parents refused to sign the waiver so I ended up becoming a swimmer. In many ways it was a blessing because though there was a team aspect to it the truth is that it relies more strongly on individuals.
Swimming is where I really began to learn what I was capable of when I pushed myself to go harder. I was good in football, had natural strength and wasn’t afraid to mix it up, but swimming took me out of my element.
As a parent I see a lot of advantages in that- just tremendous teaching opportunities that we can use to help teach focus.
That one extra step, kick, effort is so very often the difference.
Ah swimming I could never do it, I think its one of those things you need to learn young. There is such an important element of technic to it. I used to train with people 15 years older than me and in much worse shape but they always swam faster.
You are right though, that one extra kick is what makes the difference.
You can swim at any age. Once you get the technique down it is just practice like anything else. I have this crazy idea of doing the Ironman when I turn 50 and swimming is part of what keeps me going.
Of course it also scares me because I know it will take six months of hell to get into shape to begin training, but there is no better exercise.
The last 5 yards/meters are where many people give up, so if you can put a little more effort in there you can do wonders. People who don’t race don’t realize that a tenth of a second can be huge.
Damn you write some prescient posts for me. In fact I just finished an email string with our buddy Gini on how I need to get my heath crap straight and here you are with some spot on advice for me. I always focus on the challenge (or in my case the process) and rarely set long enough term goals.
It’s just like my past challenges with blogging, I was always so obsessed with what to write about that I never took the time to firmly decide how much to write and how often to post it.
As I was saying to Gini, I tend to get derailed easily (stupid adhd and dumb willpower…), so focusing on the goal, rather than the challenge is going to be front and center as I start losing all the baby weight that my wife was supposed to put on, but somehow ended up around my waist.
PS, nice new digs!
Thanks Michael, you are not alone buddy, we are all in the same boat. What you call stupid ADHD is what I call the curse of being smart.
I actually lost tons of weight when my daughter was born last year. The worrying perhaps.
We’ll get you on target!
I have no doubt
I’m an athlete. I workout everyday before the sun rises. I don’t do this to be some weirdo who has nothing else to do, but because it’s a balance that helps me keep one thing intact: discipline.
This daily lesson of discipline teaches me that even the hardest workout won’t get immediate results. I have to stick to it, keep hustling and in time it will come through. Patience is a must!
I did a post last month about Physical Fitness being a part of Personal Development. In there, I listed several reasons why I made that claim. One of those was visualization. I learned the power of visualization when I was 13 years old and I wanted to dunk. At the time I didn’t realize that the coach was teaching me how to visualize my end result – but now, looking back, that’s what he was doing. It’s really powerful – before I was 14, I could throw down. I must have been all of 5’8″ at that age.
Great post John! This one got me fired up. Might do a few pushups (even thought I’m already sore!)
PEACE
I remember your post abt physical fitness and training. I believe it’s essential for any hustler/entrepreneur. Our bodies are our income generators, we don’t have a huge factory which will run while we are in hospital.
You could dunk at 5’8? Ouch!
I would do another set of 100 if I were you
Love the new blog design John!
This post rocks too
The only barriers that one must knock down in order to reach the level of success you desire are mental ones — period.
It’s not easy to build a successful business; it’s even harder to become a self-made super success story and change the world. MOST don’t, nor ever will have the mind to do such things.
If you haven’t been born with a silver spoon in your mouth, there are things you must experience before you reach the level of success you desire in life.
Overcoming road blocks, difficulties, and failures. Most people don’t realize this is part of their journey to ultimate success. It’s not what they imagined and THERE IS NO AVOIDING IT.
Here’s where most people quit on themselves and their dreams. The whirling eddy of despair is just too much mentally and most don’t get past this point. The fact of the matter is, you can not pass “go” until you endure and overcome temporary negative circumstances.
All that is required here to keep the dream alive is endure and press forward with everything inside you and not let doubt, fear and uncertainty hand you your ass on a plate.
The mind is a fragile thing and most succumb to its power over them rather than mastering it to create the reality that is desired.
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Everybody will tell you they ‘desire’ to do it; but few have the mental capacity or courage it takes to stick with their dreams until they literally force them to become reality.
Having said that, overcoming challenges is the door to achieving and reaching your goals. They provide the opportunity to advance.
Roadblocks are temporary – in other words, they aren’t real unless you make them so.
Nothing has the power to stop you from making progress everyday toward your goals but you… A weak mind doesn’t cut it to achieve ultimate success.
There’s nothing that can prevent any level of success being reached, except you… You either have the mind and will to endure and succeed, or their weakness will let you down.
At the end of the day, you have folks who make it happen and live their dreams, or folks who don’t and make excuses why they didn’t.
Thanks for the mental exercise today John, I appreciate it
Love the new blog design John!
This post rocks too
The only barriers that one must knock down in order to reach the level of success you desire are mental ones — period.
It’s not easy to build a successful business; it’s even harder to become a self-made super success story and change the world. MOST don’t, nor ever will have the mind to do such things.
If you haven’t been born with a silver spoon in your mouth, there are things you must experience before you reach the level of success you desire in life.
Overcoming road blocks, difficulties, and failures. Most people don’t realize this is part of their journey to ultimate success. It’s not what they imagined and THERE IS NO AVOIDING IT.
Here’s where most people quit on themselves and their dreams. The whirling eddy of despair is just too much mentally and most don’t get past this point. The fact of the matter is, you can not pass “go” until you endure and overcome temporary negative circumstances.
All that is required here to keep the dream alive is endure and press forward with everything inside you and not let doubt, fear and uncertainty hand you your ass on a plate.
The mind is a fragile thing and most succumb to its power over them rather than mastering it to create the reality that is desired.
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Everybody will tell you they ‘desire’ to do it; but few have the mental capacity or courage it takes to stick with their dreams until they literally force them to become reality.
Having said that, overcoming challenges is the door to achieving and reaching your goals. They provide the opportunity to advance.
Roadblocks are temporary – in other words, they aren’t real unless you make them so.
Nothing has the power to stop you from making progress everyday toward your goals but you… A weak mind doesn’t cut it to achieve ultimate success.
There’s nothing that can prevent any level of success being reached, except you… You either have the mind and will to endure and succeed, or their weakness will let you down.
At the end of the day, you have folks who make it happen and live their dreams, or folks who don’t and make excuses why they didn’t.
Thanks for the mental exercise today John, I appreciate it
Mark!! I missed you here my friend.
“Roadblocks are temporary – in other words, they aren’t real unless you make them so.”
You just summed up my post in 15 words. I forgot to add we all need mentors to help us do the tough mental work and that is why I have you Mark.
Too funny John… In your picture, you look like what I imagine one of those Egyptian kings from times past would look like (prior their burial of course).
Maybe you’re a king reincarnated!
Cheers sir, it’s always great to talk with you : )
I’m a living mummy buddy
Can I just say that I think you’re both awesome. That is all.
This is exactly where I am at today. I don’t really relate to sports since I am not at all athletic. I do however, know of many brilliant musicians that overcame serious challenges and came back better and stronger for it.
Every time I can tackle another challenge, I make myself a stronger person. It takes a certain amount of letting go of the outcome to do that with any real success. I just show up, do the work and let everything unfold the way it is supposed to.
Thanks for this John. I sometimes forget I am not alone in dealing with these challenges.
Thanks Nancy, you are so right it does take some letting go of the outcome to have any real success.
John
Given the uncertain road that lies ahead of me, this is exactly what I needed to read. I’ve been thinking for too about the challenge and not nearly enough about the end result that I’m trying to produce. I’ve been focused on the problem rather than the solution.
Srini, keeping our eyes on where we want to go and NOT what stops us from getting there.
Got your email but was swamped today, will get back to you buddy.
Srini, keeping our eyes on where we want to go and NOT what stops us from getting there.
Got your email but was swamped today, will get back to you buddy.
Love, love love the site. Absolutely gorgeous at Lisa via @DannyBrown!
Thanks for two things: Reminder of the power of visualization and the reminder not to get hung up on the challenges. Have spent the past two weeks complaining in my head and out loud, augh. More like whining about how difficult it is to get into a routine out of my element (while visiting family using a makeshift office in my sister’s dining room while being a pseudo-single mom not just to my two but two additional children…) See what I mean I can’t stop whining! So instead of whining, I just need to take action and work while they are all asleep
Still loving the site, may have to linger here for awhile as it is so pleasing to the eye!
finally am in on google + now to figure it out…
Rajka, thanks thanks !
Ah the joys of staying with family and travelling
Looking forward to sharing with you on G+
Rajka, thanks thanks !
Ah the joys of staying with family and travelling
Looking forward to sharing with you on G+
John, I LOVE YOUR NEW SITE!!! wow. seriously.
I very much agree with focusing on the goal. In biking, you focus on where you want to ride, not at the big rock you want to miss. or the cliff you might fall off if you turn your head and look at it, and acknowledge it….I’m a big fan of positive thinking and visualization. I know it works.
EXACTLY Lisa, I was thinking about MB riding, you look at where you want to go not that those loose rocks in a turn down a steep single track…ya it works but it’s not always easy
Unless you’re a TV crew that is thinking about getting a shot and swerving to miss a tree..only to hit cyclists.
Congratulations on the new site John! It looks fantastic!
You’re absolutely right about the fact that it’s mindset + training. Too often folks focus on one or the other (Law of Attraction, anyone?) and without both you’re just spinning your wheels.
Great post!
Congratulations on the new site John! It looks fantastic!
You’re absolutely right about the fact that it’s mindset + training. Too often folks focus on one or the other (Law of Attraction, anyone?) and without both you’re just spinning your wheels.
Great post!
Thanks Jennifer, don’t get me started on the Law of Attraction…
Hi John! @ginidietrich:disqus is right. Your site looks great! How exciting to launch something that is both beautiful and intelligent at the same time. Congratulations to you! I love your reminder about focusing on the end result, and not letting the challenges get in the way.
I can also relate to visualization. I haven’t played golf in far too long, but growing up I learned from Jack Nicklaus to watch the putt go all the way to the cup before I even take the putter back. This way I can see that it is possible, but it also causes me to look at every inch of the green I will travel in order to see any break I might have missed. Again, congratulations to you!
Hi Nancy! @ginidietrich:twitter is always right
Thanks for the very kind words, beautiful and intelligent, these are strong words.
All the top Golf pros will talk about visualization for hours. It’s a powerful tool and yes I often play an entire race in my head before going ahead.
I LOVE the new look, John! It’s interesting, @jmpineda:twitter was talking about something very similar on yesterday’s #wgbiz Twitter chat (disclosure, I moderate the chat for a client). The focus of the chat was growing your business, and she also talked about the importance of writing down your goals and focusing on them, as well as re-evaluating them on a regular basis.
We didn’t get to touch on the mental aspect, though, and I really like the way you did. I know I need to do better at creating my mental image and making it an “exercise” to “look” at it regularly. So thank you for the prod.
Thanks Shonali! I love this topic, focusing on goals is easy until tough times come around. Then we seem to forget about them and get preoccupied by ‘stuff’…
The summer here makes me lazy to indulge in sports I want to. I hate doing in indoors!
I think the main reason we are daunted by the “challenge” is the connotations associated with it in the first place. The word challenge in itself makes it sound like the whole thing is going to be super tough and that makes all the difference. Thinking of it as something that I just might be able to finish off and going with the mindset that it isn’t a “challenge – challenge” but just something that might be a little daunting but isn’t all that daunting! Like @ginidietrich:disqus says, more mental than physical!
Summer in Abu Dhabi is a killer, I don’t see how it can happen outdoors.
Thanks for reframing the discussion here. A challenge is only one because we decide to make it a challenge, otherwise it could easily be a task.
Great insight Hajra, your experience shines through here
Your summers are like my winters. I have to put my bike on a trainer and watch movies while I ride. I don’t like it, which is why it’s so much more mental.
Gini, I wouldn’t be able to do this. Ride a bike indoors for month. At least you have Jack Bauer to run along with you.
He is the worst runner. Kelly tries to run with him and he’s more interested in marking everything. And it’s against the law here for me to have him run while I bike. But I’ll tell you what, riding on the trainer when it’s 50 below zero outside is OK with me
Gini, temperature is an illusion
Temperature can never be an illusion in Abu Dhabi…when its 50 degrees C and 80 % humid…
You know what its like?
Great post John! The analogies between sports and business are great. Staying focused on the goal has become increasingly more important as technology has fractured out attention. The one big difference — training. In business it is hard to remember to take the time to “train”
(i.e. take time for focused skill improvement), yet as you point out it is a key element of success.
Great thoughts. BTW, am I the first commenter on the new blog? Do I get a prize?
It looks really great. Congrats to you and the Bonsai team!
Actually @Jkthehustler:twitter beat you to it yesterday, he managed to sneak in before the site was even live and leave a comment
Your point about training in business is really important. Many want to be an overnight success and not put in the hours or the hard work, we train to get better in life for everything else, why not business?
That’s why he’s the hustler.
No prizes pal…………I should have read yours first; I also mentioned the training aspect in business and how little some people devote to it even though it is their sole source of income.
My prize was a trip in the next shuttle launch but apparently they canceled that. What other fun rides do they have in Florida?
Really like the new site look John, and enjoyed this post. While my exercise and sports participation comes in fits and starts, I’ve always been active and feel best when I’m ‘lean(er) and mean’.
Not to just throw in a post of mine (seriously, I know that’s tacky), but what I wrote two days ago in ‘Never EVER Give Up’ about the US win over Brazil http://t.co/QrX92Da is about the need to stay mentally (as well as physically) in the game until the very last second. We lived in Chapel Hill NC before moving to The Netherlands, so spent many hours watching Anson Dorrance (20 NCAA championships and countless members of US Women’s National Teams) and the Tarheels play soccer. A favorite quote was from the the University of Virgina women’s soccer coach, herself a former Tarheel. I’m paraphrasing, but it was essentially ‘We know we can hang with Carolina and play them hard for 70 minutes. Unfortunately the game lasts 90 minutes’. It’s crucial to have done the physical and mental preparation AND understand that you may not score or separate yourself from the pack until late in the game, so you have to give it your all.
We each have only one ride through this life; whatever you do, make it an awesome one.
Thanks for linking to your post, I’m headed over. As the new father to a little girl, the role of sports in helping girls to develop themselves has become an important part of my focus.
Yes to the awesome ride
Great change up to your site John.
Managing challenges is something everyone in life has to face. Some are really good at it, and some are not.
I am always the better person for articles like this that remind me to have the end in mind, and not the events that test that end and my resolve to meet it.
Really do like this new look.
Billy
Cheers Billy, glad you like, I won’t have to redesign it
Well, at least the green jersey…
First, I’m with Adam. The site looks AWESOME!! You should be really, really happy with it. Now install Livefyre.
Secondly, I’m a big fan of using sports metaphors in business. When I watch football (the American kind), I watch the teamwork and camaraderie really closely because there are a lot of lessons in how they work together to win. And, as you well know, racing of any kind is more mental than it is physical.
Green jersey I thought you were more of a dotted jersey gal
Ah Livefyre!
If I lived anywhere near hills, I would go for the polka dots. But I ride where it’s fast and flat. Going with my strengths!
Polka dots…now we’re talking @johnfalchetto:disqus !! How about fuscia with white polka dots?!
But sometimes working your weaknesses can make you stronger. If you gain power on the uphills wouldn’t that help your sprints?
Absolutely! But I need uphills to practice on.
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