When I talk to people about starting a new business (or putting new systems in place to grow an existing one), I notice just how many of us have so little patience when we begin something new. We want instant results, but we really should be thinking of our business as a long-distance race.
Instead of just concentrating on what happened this minute, this hour, this day…we need to change our focus to long-term success and do the steps necessary to get there.
I like this quote by Greek poet Hesiod – “If you add a little to a little, and then do it again, soon that little shall be much.”
Or look at building a business in terms of training for a long race, not a short jog: If you were training for a marathon, what would it take to get to the finish line?
Weeks, months or years of training? Wouldn’t you start out running a shorter distance and then consistently build on that foundation to have the stamina it takes to complete the marathon?
When we think of starting a business or a new system in our business, though, how many of us expect success and rewards (the money) to immediately start rolling in with little or no real effort or training?
If it was possible to become a millionaire overnight with the push of a button (or the launch of a website) wouldn’t that secret formula have been “leaked” by now? And if there is one that I’m not aware of yet, please let me know!! 😉
In reality, like most other major commitments (running a marathon, earning a degree, losing weight) building a business takes:
- A Solid Foundation: work with determined focus on those things that will create a strong business that is sustainable over the long-term; whether that’s products, people, resources or all of the above.
- Consistent Effort: do what it takes every day to produce results and get you closer to the long-term goals you’ve put in place.
- Flexibility and Stamina: when things around you change or the unexpected happens, make adjustments and move on; each new experience (or mistake) makes you stronger in the long run.
So the next time things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d like in your business, stop and ask yourself “am I training for a marathon or just a jog around the block?”
If you build your business as if you were training for a marathon, then those bad days or bumps in the road to success will only prove to be small inconveniences in the longer race towards the finish line. And at the end of the race, you’ll claim the best prize: a strong, thriving business.