Being successful at network or internet marketing and the Ironman have many similarities for me.  As I am sitting here in my office recovering from last weeks triathlon, a thought keeps recurring in my mind.  “Why the hell am I doing this?”  I was really thinking that thought about mile 6 of my Olympic distance tri last week, which is a 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike, and 6 mile run.

Last year was my first year competing in triathlon and I was able to complete a half Ironman distance at the end of last year which consists of 1.2 mile swim, 56 bike, and 13 mile run.  There is another half on the calendar for this year, then next year will be the Ironman.  2.4 miles in the water, 112 on the bike, then a full 26 mile marathon to finish.

Much like network marketing, or most business ventures for that matter, the Ironman is a process.  There is much preparation and learning that paves the way to a successful race day.  My Ironman dream will be approximately 3 yrs in the making, and it began Sept 16, 2008 when I had to run/walk my first mile of training.  I made a decision on that day that I would do the Ironman.

Along my journey, I have had injuries and setbacks, and there have been highs and lows in my training.  I keep remembering that this is just for fun and fitness, but it becomes an obsession of sorts.  This is a screenshot from my logs for 2009:

2009 totals

Bike:                          146h 21m – 2465.2mi

Run:                           107h 58m – 608.16mi

Swim:                        67h 44m – 165393 yd

Triathlon takes 100% dedication and commitment to complete the desired goal.  My 2009 training hours totals over 320 hours of training for a 6 hour race.  This time consisted of pain, sweat, hard work, aches, soreness, and the list goes on, but sacrifice tops the list.  In order to reach my goals, there must be sacrifices made along the way.

Being a leader in a network marketing business has many parallels to my quest for Ironman.  Being a leader  will not come overnight.  There will be times when you just don’t think you are going to make it.  There will be times that your business regresses and you must regroup.

Think about the learning curve that online marketer must go through…learning all the tricks of the trade.  In order to be successful, a leader must make a 100% commitment to himself that success is inevitable.  Success in business is a journey; successful people build themselves and their business.

Leaders aren’t born they are made, and the same goes for Ironman.  An Ironman competitor has taken millions of steps in preparation for crossing the finish line.  The finish line for the Ironman is a very clear goal which may have been conceived years before the event.  Network marketers can also have clearly defined goals and there are many steps that must be completed along the way to be successful.

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Filed under: Network Marketing • ironman

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