Running a Marathon - You Cannot be Serious?
Posted by: banjosmyth in Marathon, Mindset of a MillionaireYou are probably asking what does running a marathon have to do with Investment Strategies & Wealth Creation? For most people the answer would be NOTHING but for me the answer is EVERYTHING.
11 months ago I decided to fulfill a lifetime dream and complete a marathon. I have always been an active person and generally go for a couple of 4-6km jogs a week - a long way off the somewhat ridiculous figure of 42km that the marathon is. I see the marathon as the ultimate physical test, something that will push you into areas and feelings that you have never experienced before.
This is where I see the similarities to Investing and Wealth Creation. When you are beginning your journey towards financial freedom you are faced with ideas and concepts that are totally foreign to you. Dealing with the Stock Market, buying Real Estate to rent out and going into debt to create wealth are all concepts that are incredibly scary to someone that hasn’t experienced then before. Just like with the marathon these foreign ideas force you to choice one of two things. . . .
When your legs start hurting or you mind is getting confused you can either
Give up and stop running or stop learning about Investing
Or
You can keep going despite the fact that you feel completely spent, exhausted, confused and angry.
There is nothing better than going on a long run and getting to the point where you feel like you have to stop but you somehow manage to persuade yourself to keep going and finish. In that moment you have conquered the part of your brain that says “I can’t do it”. You have learnt that if you push through the pain barrier or that overwhelming feeling you get when learning about investing – you will succeed.
So after 11 months of training I am now only 4 weeks away from the Melbourne Marathon. 3 months ago I completed a half marathon (1:41:30) - 3 ½ minutes faster than my goal time. Since then I have slowly been building my long runs up and last weekend I completed a 35kn run in 3:15:00. My main goal for the marathon is to finish but I would love to do it in less than 4 hours. 4 weeks to go and I will let you know how I went.
When I tell people that I am doing a marathon they all tell me I’m completely crazy. To be honest I agree with them and that is the beauty of doing such a silly thing like running a marathon. It is such a long way to run that if I can finish it, surely I can do whatever I set my mind to?
Tags: Investment strategies, Marathon, mindset, running a marathon, Wealth Creation
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September 17th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
goodluck man, i hope you finish…i’ve been reading your writings quite a lot recently and was wandering whether you have any tips on how to go about finding a mentor
September 17th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Hi Manzee
Thanks for stopping by - I hope I finish too!!!
Great question - Finding a mentor is vital to achieving anything.
I think there are two main types of mentors that are great to have.
1. Someone who has already achieved the success that you want - and is willing to teach you how they did it.
2. Someone (or preferably a few people) who are in a similar position to you but perhaps just a little bit more advanced.
Once you start learning it is a great idea to try and help other people out by teaching them what you have learnt as well. Teaching others is a great way to really understand the content.
As far as advice on where to find these mentors?
There are plenty of Investment Educators around at the moment. Some of whom are fantastic and plenty of whom are less than that
Jamie McIntyre is my personal mentor and he has been simply fantastic. The best thing to do would be to order his free dvd at the top of this blog and see what your think. If he is not exactly what you were looking for then there are plenty of other options - just send me an email and i would be more than happy to help you out.
Finding the 2nd type of mentors will generally come from finding your main mentor. If you go to some seminars or look for some investment clubs to join then you are bound to meet some like minded people who are in a similar position to you.
Best of luck with everything
Happy Investing
Cheers
Banjo Smyth
September 18th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Hey Banjo… good for you! That’s exactly how I felt when I was trekking Kokoda. If I can do this, then I can do anything. While you’re at it, you may want to look at this site http://www.trainforhumanity.com these are 3 bloggers who are also training for marathons and one a triathlon and they are reaching out for sponsorship while they train and the funds raised will go to Darfur. Anyway, thought I would mention it in case you needed any more incentive! I am interested in how your times go
Cheers
September 26th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Great article Banjo.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that you break the 4 hour barrier.
Regards,
Stuart Ginbey