It’s a long way to the top….if you want to make a profit
It’s a long way to the top if you want to make a profit.
At times it takes guts, determination, strength and just a perfect amount of crazy to get you through.
This month I wanted to share a more personal story about me – and how the traits that got me through I also apply to my business.
In March I completed the 15.5km Run for The Kids – to raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital. I signed up several months ago and this was going to be a huge goal for me. Lets just say my love for chocolate and wine far outweighs my love for running – and I faced a huge injury (plantar fasciitis) three weeks out from race day. Furthest run was 6km…once….so this was going to be tough.
Training was limited (or should I say non existent), xray and ultrasound done, no permanent damage – but I still had my goal. I wanted to cross that finish line and make people proud.
I could have easily given up or given in – either before race day or on the day and used my injury as an “excuse”.
But like most things in life – either personal or business – you have a choice.
You can give in – but then how would you ever know if you would have been successful, or if that goal could have been reached, or if that idea might have just taken off.
Or – you can just forge ahead. On race day I had the words of two amazing women ringing in my ears.
I had the pleasure of listening to Lisa Messenger last month at The EPIC Business Planning Summit (you can get the digital pass here). Her words to me (well to everyone really but it was like she was talking to me directly) were – “Fail Fast…it is not the Big that eat the Small, but the Fast that eat the Slow”.
To me that meant try, it might not work, but I am going to give it an almighty crack and see what happens. By trying, I am always faster than those not trying.
And last month I attended the She Will Shine catch up where the simply amazing Mel Gleeson (Endota Spa fame) said “Think it, Believe it, Do it”.
Not once during the race did I think I wouldn’t finish. Well ok, maybe once or twice, but I pushed those silly thoughts out of my head and totally visualised myself getting across the line. I wanted it so bad.
The moral of my story – you can achieve greatness – but it won’t happen overnight, in fact it might not even happen in the first year of business.
Running a business is kind of like me running 15.5km. Totally out of my comfort zone, some people did call me crazy, most people told me not to bother – but you know what, I got out there, I put one foot in front of the other, I visualise my goal and I go for it.
Sure – it might not work out the way I had planned, but it still worked.
Sometimes the mountain of running a business appears far too big, far too impossible to overcome – so break it down into mini goals.