It's not a sprint, it's a marathon

byatauds

258 followers

9 years ago

As I train in the certification courses, take member training courses, ask questions, and learn from questions, blogs, and feedback from all of you, I realize its a lot like training for a marathon.

You see, the goal in a marathon is to be able to run all 26.2 miles on race day. Race day is the target date. So I sit down and calculate how long will it take to train for the race. How many weeks will it take? How many miles will I run each day? What is the longest I will run over the weekend? What other exercise activities can I incorporate to cross train?. What do I need to fuel my body? What do I do if I am hindered by injury or other unforeseen issues? Then as the number of weeks shrinks to the single digits and race day draws near, runs are tapered so as to maximize effort and endurance on the big day.

My goal is to have a working website up and running by the spring. I have a target date in mind. So I work backwards to figure out what my schedule will look like to meet that target date. Do I have a niche? How is my progress in the certification courses? Have I met targeted dates to complete each course? What questions do I have? Do I need to redo the course lesson again so that I thoroughly understand? Who can I reach out to for help? What are other members doing? What tips can they offer? What insight can I gain from other members? Then as the weeks go by and as I progress, I soak in all the knowledge gained from all this. I allow it to marinate. I experiment, I critique, I fine tune as I move closer to my goal.

And as I work through all of this, I also realize it's not all about the destination, the goal. What will I glean from all of this? The rewards, failures, and progress on this journey. Those are the moments I know I will most remember.