Keep Moving Forward
Written by CMG News Contributor, Eric D. Glymph
10+ years of training and racing triathlons prepared me to leave corporate America and start my own business as well as live a more fulfilling life. My journey toward becoming an Ironman changed my mindset and ignited a passion and desire to help others be successful in their businesses. The parallels between training and racing triathlons and running a business are numerous. Without the discipline, desire, and passion that I learned while training to become an Ironman, I would not have ultimately made the successful leap to start my own business.
On Sunday July 13, 2014, I completed one of the craziest races of my triathlon career, the Musselman Half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run) in Geneva, New York. The day before the race it was a beautiful, sunny, 75 degree day. My family and I walked along the shore of crystal clear, calm Lake Geneva. The next morning, I woke up at 5am to get ready. At 6am my family and I start the walk to the race start. We were buffeted by 20-30 mph winds and intermittent rain. The lake that was so calm yesterday looked like an ocean with white cap waves!
The 1.2 mile swim was absolutely crazy, one of the craziest swims I have ever done. When I reached the 1st turn buoy, there were so many other athletes hanging onto the safety kayaks and boats that there was no room to stop even if I wanted to. So, I just kept swimming forward.
I rode the bike for 56 miles in wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Nothing to do but keep moving forward. After the race, we heard that there was a tornado sighting on the other side of the lake!
When it was time to run, the rain had stopped and the wind had died down. But it was humid! It was a challenging, hilly course but I kept moving forward. I did it! I finished.
Keep Moving Forward – the mantra of a business owner!
I have had many disappointments and course corrections in my entrepreneurial journey. What has kept me going is to keep moving forward. If something doesn’t work out I learn from it. I don’t fixate on it – I move on to the next opportunity.
As a business owner, many times you will get that voice in your head that tells you to stop, what you are doing makes no sense. The conditions are not ideal, you should quit, go back to your old life, do something else. “Keep moving forward” should be the mantra of every small business owner. As a triathlete, I learned to keep moving forward in every race. As a business owner, I have learned to keep moving forward every day.
This mantra is even more important in today’s environment. Things may not work out the way we expect, but we all are learning to navigate the many changes and challenges that have happened in 2020. Keep Moving Forward!
Eric is the Owner and Founder of EDGe Business Planning. He has 20+ years of experience focused on improving the profitability of large, medium, and startup organizations with extensive knowledge on business planning, strategy, financial analysis, and budgeting throughout his career. To contact Eric directly, please email him at eric@edgebusinessplanning.com.