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Despite all that and a wobbly business climate, in 2008 I still decided to leave my job and start my own business. The allure of working for myself, in control of my day-to-day working environment was too strong. I’d been planning and plotting for probably 9 months (I’ll spare you the pregnancy metaphor), and to be honest, had initially planned to just freelance on the side, too risk adverse to take the plunge completely. Although I wasn’t in danger of losing my own job, even just a small taste of the freedom and possibilities of entrepreneurship was irresistible. And three years later, with a fairly successful business, I have no regrets. Zero.
Along my twisted journey, which has been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, there’s been one common theme that I keep bumping into: sacrifice.
What is Sacrifice, Exactly?
The word sacrifice reminds me of an earlier discussion here on DLM, which comes first: Success or Happiness. But what does sacrifice mean, anyway? Google kindly suggests a number of religious and sports themed definitions, but for the moment, let’s choose this one:
to give up (something important or valued) for the sake of other considerations
Seems like a fair enough definition. But what does one give up when making the entrepreneurship leap? Well, everyone is different, but my list includes:
- Time. I know zero business owners who work fewer hours than they did while in a corporate job. That can change later on in your business career, but the beginning is mostly just hard work.
- Delegating Responsibility. If you work for someone else, if something goes wrong you can easily pass the buck. (Or in the classic corporate scenario, it’s more like a game of finger pointing.) When an entrepreneur, the buck always stops with you, whether you like it or not. Cashflow, sales, taxes: all your responsibility now.
- Sanity. A lot of entrepreneurs will tell you it is, technically speaking, crazy to go into business. You constantly have to take risks, stick your neck out, take criticism on the chin, fail often. It’s a wonder your average business owner doesn’t run around town screaming like a manic.
- Benefits. You know, benefits, those cushy things that employers give their staff to tempt them to stick around. The biggest one is health insurance, for those living in countries without public health care. Retirement funds and investments are also tempting treats that when you work for yourself, you have to take care of yourself.
Ok, so enough with the examples of sacrifice – just remember that sacrifice is different for everybody. But how much sacrifice is required?
It depends.
I wish I could tell you how many of your children’s birthdays you’ll miss. I wish I could warn you about how much overconsumption of caffeine you’ll have, and how many nights you won’t sleep because you’re worried about paying your mortgage. I’d love to say that you’ll be breaking even within a year, or that in 6 years you’ll cash out as a millionaire.
But alas I can’t tell you these things. Every business is different, and each is a swirling mix of luck and hard work.
What I can tell you is that no matter how much sacrifice is required, I feel it is always worth it. Why? Because as the business owner, I am the one in control. I can decide what risks are worth taking, how much time to spend, and how hard to push.
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However, the best part may be that the 5K isn’t just for runners! If you would like to have a lot of fun, set an attainable fitness goal and feel fantastic about your accomplishment, you should find a local 5K run and give it a try. You can even run with your spouse or bring your entire family to share the experience together.
Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced runner (or not a runner at all), these nine little steps will lead you to an awesome 5K. Let’s get started!
- Find Your Motivation
The choice to change and improve your fitness level is resonating within you, but you may lack motivation, desire or self-control. If you find you start new fitness quests but never finish them, you likely don’t have a big enough “Why” or enough Whys to see you to the end.
Your Whys are the specific emotional ties that help you get out of bed in the morning to workout and control yourself at meal time. Your reasons should be very personal, but they could include things like feeling confident when you enter a meeting, looking sexy for your spouse on an upcoming vacation, or even living to see your kids grow up and get married.
Write down all of the emotional reasons that you have for completing your 5K run and don’t hold back. - Pick a Plan that Fits You
There are many plans out there, both free and paid, that will take you from a sedentary state to running a strong 5K within 6-10 weeks. Picking a plan that is right for you is of utmost importance since finding a plan that fits your particular fitness needs and available training time will increase your chances of staying on track to your 5K.
At Fit Marriage, we have developed a free 6-week 5K training plan that is designed to get you running well while improving your overall fitness and shedding excess weight, and it requires less than 30 minutes for each training session. Feel free to pick it up and see if it suits you. - Commit To The Plan
The excitement that occurs when you begin a program is awesome! You launch out of the starting blocks with everything you have. Unfortunately for some of you, that excitement will fizzle out and it makes it difficult to continue on your 5K journey.
Once you find a training plan that will accommodate your life, you simply need to commit to your plan and mentally make it your own. This would also be a great time to find a specific race that coincides with the completion of your training and get signed up! - Set Measurable & Specific Goals
Once you’re committed to a plan, you should set goals that will keep you motivated and excited about completing your 5K. This could be as simple as completing your first 5K, a specific time you want to complete the event in, running the entire course without walking or stopping, or it could be a combination of losing weight and toning your body over the course of your training program with the 5K race simply representing the final event. - Track Your Progress by Writing it Down
Print out your program and after each workout that you complete put a check mark by it or cross it out. Add comments that will help you during your next workout.
This will be a visible reminder of what you have accomplished so far. Make it known to your family and friends that you are training for a 5K. Share your experiences, post about your runs on Facebook, or blog about it. If you have a GPS device, track your run/walks and upload them so you can monitor your time, distance, average speed, and calories burned as specific measures of your progress. - Focus on Your “Personal Best”
In today’s world, we are always looking at how well the other person did. It’s time for you to look at yourself in the mirror and become the best version of you that you can become.
There are many ways that you can grow as an athlete. When it comes to running a 5K, it could be setting a time for yourself and beating it on race day, or you can compete in a race with hilly terrain. For your non-running workouts, you can add weights, bands or a medicine ball to each exercise to add an element of difficulty. Push yourself to do your best. - Build Your Support Team
Having a support group around you can make the difference when it comes to putting your very best effort into your 5K training. These are folks who will be there to pick you up when you are down, and you should be selective to choose individuals who will stick by you. Your spouse makes a great accountability partner!
The social aspect of running is one reason many get into it. If you are not training with your spouse or a close friend, look for a local running club you can meet up with if your schedule permits. - Find a Mantra
Pick a short phrase that you say over and over in your head to keep you motivated. You can even yell it out if you have to, as long as it keeps you fired up and moving forward! Finding a mantra is as easy as finding a quote in a magazine, listening to your iPod and hearing something that resonates with you, or getting words of inspiration from your spouse. - Prepare for Obstacles Along the Way
Life happens. We are busy folks with jobs, families, other activities, and more. If we don’t prepare ourselves and how we will get our workouts in when obstacles happen, more times than not we simply won’t do our workouts.
Instead of focusing on how you won’t be able to complete your workout, refocus your energy on how you can make it happen. Maybe you can’t do the entire workout because you’ve had a really long day at work or a meeting came up. Instead of spending 30 minutes on the workout, just do 15 minutes worth. If you can’t be outside, use your stairs or run in place if that’s what it takes. Just get something in on the workout days so that you keep moving forward.
