Go For It!

In a little over a month I’m going to try something that scares me just a little. I’ve signed up for a Spartan Race (www.spartan.com). A lot of groups have sprung up putting on races of this type. They have a lot of different flavors. Some are really dirty (get your mind out of the gutter, think dirt and mud), but some try to keep it clean. Some are all about the competition, and some are all about the teamwork. Some give you a list of obstacles you’ll face; some, like the race I’ll be running, don’t tell you what to expect—and they try to throw in new surprises every year.

Many of the racers I’ll race with will be pushed to the edge of their strength and endurance—and they’ll get really muddy in the process. There will be a number of obstacles, but they won’t tell us how many. I believe it will be more than 10, but less than 20. There will be heavy things to lift and sometimes carry, drag, or flip. There will be crawling and jumping and sliding. There will be hills and ropes and walls and contraptions to climb. And there will be mud, lots of mud. Oh, and to top it all off, at the end, we’ll have to jump over a blazing wall of fire and push our way through some gladiators with pugil sticks who are trying to keep us from the finish line.

You, like me, and my wife, are probably wondering what in the world possessed me when I made the choice several months ago to sign up for this.

There is no feeling in the world like overcoming a challenge. When you set a goal for yourself that is hard to achieve, and then really put your effort into that goal, and then achieve that goal … the feeling is exquisite. And when that accomplishment is a physical accomplishment, it comes with endorphins that really put you on top of the world.

I want to try something hard and I want that feeling that comes from not just trying, but succeeding.

Are you in a rut? Is your marketing or your product in a rut?

If so, find a worthy challenge, set a goal, and GO FOR IT!

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