What Running a Marathon Can Teach About Goals, Focus & Friends
In 1980, I ran my first marathon in Montreal. On September 24, I will run my second. In the 43 years that separate those two marathons, I have run plenty more, from Blumenau to Big Sur.
Why do I still do it?? A simple answer is "because I still can." And I am immensely grateful for that. But a more robust response is that running a marathon is as good an exercise as any to help deal with all the other challenges that life brings.
As any marathoner will attest, the hardest thing about a marathon is not the race itself. It's the training. To run a marathon, you have to plan far in advance. You have to be committed. You have to be organized, diligent, and do the hard yards. You have to learn to push through the setbacks and the pain. And most importantly, you have to stay focused on the finish line.
Sound familiar? For any entrepreneur with a big idea or anyone, for that matter, with a dream, the recipe for reaching your goal is pretty much the same. And while running a marathon may appear to be an individual endeavor, you can't do it alone. You need support and encouragement from your family and friends, as well as guidance and pressure from your peers, and your fellow runners. It's a team effort.
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Running a marathon teaches you a lot about yourself. It teaches you a lot about your friends, too. This year, my friends have helped me raise over $7,000 for Afrikids , a wonderful organization that funds quality education for at-risk kids in Tanzania.
And what motivates people to give? As Laura Lopez , my former boss at TIME magazine in Brazil, told me "An old man running a marathon and kids in Africa? Who could resist?" My fundraiser will be open until the day of the race. If you want to help an old man and some beautiful kids in Tanzania, please check out my GoFundMe campaign -- https://gofund.me/820941a1
Thank you to my friends for their support. And best of luck to all of you who are training for your next marathon or reaching for a distant star.
See you at the finish line!