Seven Life & Leadership Lessons-Vol. 3

Chasing a goal is not about the finish line – it’s about the journey and the dream.

I finished my Ironman! 600 hours of training over 7 months; 12:16 hours of race time.

The most important lesson I learned from this process, is a reminder of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote “Life is a journey, not a destination.” I’m proud of my accomplishment and it was the hardest physical feat I have ever attempted. But as I reflect a month later, I barely remember crossing the finish line. It is a blurred memory of lights, noise, and exhaustion. My true highlights are the simplest of moments: training with my buddies, my first century ride, a carefree run in Jackson Hole, my loved ones at the event, and writing these "Lessons Learned" articles: Intro , Vol. 1 , Vol. 2 .

Doing hard things is an interesting mental process. When I set a goal, it becomes a mental obsession. I dream about the challenge and my mind convinces me that I can do anything. During my Ironman training process, most nights I went to bed with vigor for the next day’s work out. But… doing hard things is an interesting mental process and most mornings I woke up with reluctance to do the workout I had just dreamt about the night before. At 10PM my mind told me I was unstoppable and 7-hours later, my mind was begging me to skip my workout. It’s easy to invite fear, uncertainty, doubt, and procrastination into the mind. Success is determined in the daily-grind, not the big-day event.

Doing an Ironman was incredibly hard and the last 6 miles of the run pushed me to my limit.?But the challenge of the Ironman race-day event pales in comparison to the grind of the training process. It’s interesting… my fondest memories are my hardest training days – not the race itself. My mind dreamt about the grind, fought against the grind, and now celebrates the grind as a cherished memory.?

Although the journey is the memorable highlight, I do not want to underemphasize the importance of achievement. I finished the Ironman event and perhaps the fact that I achieved my goal is what nurtures the fondness of the journey. I’m a different person because I accomplished my goal. “Doing” is different than “trying.” Look at the before and after pictures (below). The first picture is 5 minutes before my race began, and second picture is 5 minutes after my race concluded. The first picture is filled with positive ambition and the second picture with joyous accomplishment. There is no amount of training that can replace that moment of triumph and I am a different person for having achieved my goal. The feelings I have about my journey might be different had I not accomplished my objective. It’s OK to savor both the journey and the destination.

In summary, the true final-lesson is a three-pronged perspective:

Chase the Dream, Savor the Journey & Cross the Finish Line!

More later, Gotta make plans for my next goal! - Chris