You don't become iron on the day.

I love the saying attributed to Zig Ziglar: “Whenever you see a man on top of a mountain, you can be sure he didn’t fall there.”

One of the highlights of doing a full Iron Man is when you run across the finish line and the presenter announces over the mic: “Werner, you are an Iron Man”. Most people don’t realize the incredible accuracy of that statement, particularly the tense in which it is given. ?They don’t announce “You are now an Iron Man”. I do not know if it is intentional, but it should be. As with most great endeavors, it is not finishing the race in time that makes you Iron. The day only reveals what you are made of. You either rock up Iron or not. If you are, you get to make it. If not, you don’t. It is that simple.

Whatever your Iron is you are trying to achieve, it will not come in a day. No matter what your strength of mind or determination or brilliance is. If those things could land you on top of a mountain in a moment it is a very small mountain. It is more like a bump in the road. People on the outside see success and often imagine it is luck or attribute it to a moment's effort. But you became iron months or years before, every time you had to get up and go for the 5-hour long ride, the 2.5-hour long run, or the cold swim. When you didn’t skip because it was raining. When you didn’t skip because it was too hot. When you didn’t skip because there were so many other priorities. You don’t become iron on race day. You become iron on Wednesday morning. Every Wednesday. On Monday afternoon. Every Monday. It is the discipline that turns you into Iron.

When you get your opportunity (brought by luck or intention) to compete, make the presentation, or lead the negotiation, you will fall to your level of preparation, not rise to become iron. All the great endeavors and achievements in life are won in the discipline beforehand. The day only reveals.?