The Long Run

Success isn't a sprint and neither is becoming who you want to be.

Before I get rolling, let's get one thing straight: despite the title, this blog isn't about the Eagles' 1979 studio album with the hits "In the City," "I Can't Tell You Why," and "Heartache Tonight." No, this particular blog is about the fact that a few years ago, I did something I never imagined I'd willingly do: I became a runner.

Calling myself a "runner" still feels a little strange because nobody will confuse me with an Olympic athlete anytime soon. I'm not particularly fast, my form probably leaves a lot to be desired, and plenty of mornings lacing up my running shoes is considerably more pleasant than actually running in them.

Still, more mornings than not, I run.

Recently, I came across something called "The Runner's Rules," and the more I read them, the less they felt like rules for running and the more they felt like pretty damn good rules for anyone trying to build a career, a business, or something that has both substance and meaning. So, with apologies to actual runners everywhere, here's how I read them.

1. Run the mile you're in.

   It's incredibly easy to become consumed with what's next: the next client, quarter, opportunity, promotion, goal, issue, or problem. Runners know there's little value in worrying about mile eight while struggling through mile three - or, in my case, worrying about mile three while struggling through mile one. The same is true professionally. Do the work that's directly in front of you and worry about the next project when you get there.

   
   

2. Start before you're ready.

   If I've learned anything from starting brandivate, it's that "ready" is a largely fictional concept. There will always be another question to answer, skill to develop, detail to perfect, or reason to wait. Sometimes readiness comes less from waiting than from starting.

   
   

3. Respect the distance.

   As I learned when I did a 10k in the heat and humidity of Austin this past spring, you can't fake your way through a long run. By the same token, you really can't shortcut your way to anything meaningful professionally. Building trust, expertise, relationships, reputation, and a sustainable business takes time. Ambition is wonderful, but ambition without respect for the distance is a terrific recipe for burnout.

   
   

4. Make peace with discomfort.

   Running is uncomfortable, and so is growth. Difficult conversations, raising your prices, saying no, and trying something you might fail at are all really uncomfortable. If your goal is to avoid discomfort, you'll probably avoid a hell of a lot of opportunity along with it.

   
   

5. Don't waste good legs.

   Some days running feels surprisingly easy; others, every step feels like bags of wet cement have replaced my legs. Business has seasons, too. When the ideas are flowing, opportunities are appearing, and you have momentum, use it. Good legs aren't guaranteed tomorrow.

   
   

6. Pace is personal.

   In running, someone will always be faster than you. Similarly, in business, someone's company will grow quicker, someone will make more money, get the promotion first, have more recognition, win more awards, or appear to have everything figured out. As Mel Robbins would say, let them. Comparison has a nasty habit of convincing us to run races we never intended to enter.

   
   

7. The finish is earned early.

   The finish line gets the photograph, but it wasn't earned there. It was earned during the early morning training runs nobody saw. Professional success works much the same way. The big client win, promotion, successful launch, or award is simply the visible result of hundreds of small, decidedly unsexy decisions made long before anyone was paying attention.

   
   

8. Bad runs still count.

   This might be my favorite, probably because all summer long I felt like every run was bad. Not every run will be a personal best, and not every workday will be either. Some presentations flat-out stink, some ideas fail, some sales calls go nowhere, some clients can't be pleased, and some days you're simply not very good. Showing up imperfectly still counts, and those bad runs (literally and metaphorically) often teach us far more than the great ones.

   
   

9. Discipline beats motivation.

   Some mornings, I’m highly motivated to get out there and run. Other days, it’s absolutely the last thing I want to do, which is why motivation is completely unreliable. Discipline, on the other hand, doesn't particularly care whether or not you're inspired. The professionals who endure aren't endlessly motivated; they've built habits that keep them moving when motivation is nowhere to be found.

   
   

10. Keep going.

    I'm not sure I can really add much to that.

Careers have setbacks, businesses have terrible months, clients leave, plans fail, and circumstances change. Sometimes you stumble, get lost, and wonder why in the world you started running in the first place.

Keep going.

Maybe that's what running has taught me more than anything else. Success isn't always about being the fastest person in the race. In my mind, it's about respecting the distance, finding your own pace, accepting that some miles will be harder than others, and understanding that a bad mile doesn't have to become a bad race.

The road is long, so there’s no sense spending it running someone else’s race.