The Will to Win- by Sue Aquila
In my business, I spend most of my time with college students. Many of them are young, unproven and searching for their paths. On occasion someone special shows up. Despite his or her youth, the individual radiates strength and purpose. That person ends up being a cornerstone of our team.
As I get to know these individuals, I find they usually have a story with a crucible moment. Something happened to someone they love dearly or to themselves that involved making a tremendously hard choice. These are the individuals that go on to great success on their chosen path.
The life cycle of owning a business often involves a crucible. My first year in business the concept blew out the third year sales projections of my business plan. Unfortunately, people were buying at a much faster rate than they were paying.
I remember lying in bed sleepless because I was unsure how I was going to make payroll the next day. I mentioned this to a friend who worked at a company which owed the business quite a bit of cash. He had a check brought to me that day -- business death averted. I have learned quite a bit about managing cash flow since that day!
As triathletes, what we do is not life and death. However, our choices often feel like life and death. To race hard, we must train hard. How much “hard” can we embrace? Is our psychic well endless? Is our psychic cash flow balanced?
I have no answers to these questions but I do know I have to care for the emotional side of my training as much as the physical side. How?
Stay in the moment of my workout
Keep the easy days truly easy
Have a fun training day with friends
Identify a breakthrough workout and prepare for it like a race
Remind myself of my ultimate goal
Log personal bests and personal records
Celebrate my success
I am one of the athletes on the path to achieve my dreams athltically. It has been a difficult choice. Is it enjoyable? At times. Is it meaningful? Beyond measure.
Sometimes we get to choose our crucibles.