It Can Be a Lonely Road

Swam 2.4 miles the other day. Walked into the shower stalls when I was done to shower...
Guy in there: Man, how far did you swim? Like a mile and a half?
Me: 2.4 miles. I'm training for an Iron Man triathlon in September.
Guy in there: What is that?
Me: It's a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run.
Guy in there: Don't take this the wrong way but you don't look like a triathlete.
Me: Thanks, that's...that's great.
Guy in there: No, seriously, are you going to lose that weight before the triathlon?
Me: I'm working on it.

The road to what we want to accomplish can be very lonely.  We get beat down.  We get discouraged.  We doubt ourselves.  And then, of course, there are those people that, like my shower voice, that attempt to ruin you, whether intentionally or not. 

A great quote I have read states, "There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.  Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought." As business owners, we have to be our biggest champions.  We have to be mentally strong to ignore the doubters and press on to the goal we strive for.  The reasons we do it are many - for me, the reasons have names. 

As Napoleon Hill wrote, "Nothing is impossible to the person who backs desire with enduring faith."  We all work towards our goal differently.  We may arrive at our goals differently than others.  Nothing is absolute in business and we need to continually remind ourselves that no matter what we look like in the process, we must continually work diligently, with that desire to succeed, to find our unique path to success.  I don't look like a triathlete.  Truth be told, I look like a potato in pantyhose when I'm out running and biking.  It hasn't stopped me from pressing on towards my goal of completing an Iron Man triathlon.  

In a triathlon, you can not receive any outside help, except from fellow racers.  In business, the benefit we have is that help is all around us.  Our business ventures can be a lonely road but they don't have to be.  We have to quit worrying about looking vulnerable when we need help and reach out to the people we know - and even to those we don't know yet.  We will find new skills, new mindsets, new vision and new encouragement in each other.  We can not do everything better than everyone - find the skills you don't have in someone else.  Our only limitations reside in what we are unwilling to do.