The Success Formula – Win at the Game of Life
Are you successful in the game of life? If not do you want to be? If you are chances are you are implementing these four steps – The Success Formula – even if you don’t realize it!
It quickly becomes apparent that those who succeed have put in place and are successful in four key areas. Together these 4 areas make up The Success Formula. The question is, are you?
Ticking these four boxes will ensure you’re successful in any endeavor that you tackle. We’re not just talking your ultra running goals, were talking about everything big and meaningful you want to achieve in life! The process is the same and repeatable!
If however you slip up in just one of these areas you will not be successful. Slipping up in just one area means not achieving your goals and uncertainty if you ever will. Compounded with this are feelings of frustration, wasted time, wasted energy and emotional heartbreak.
There is an alternate approach. It’s an approach where you have focus, you have clarity, you have certainty, you have determination and you systematically achieve the big things in life that you set out to. It leaves you with euphoric experiences that you never forget due to the emotion surrounding their accomplishment. These experiences occur when you achieve your impossible – where you achieve that finish line feeling that we discussed last week.
You have a choice to make as you read on. You can take a scattered approach and leave your life up to chance. Or you can ensure you are following The Success Formula and have certainty that you will achieve your impossible!
What are the four key areas of success that make up The Success Formula? They are the four A’s!
Attitude– A positive can do attitude
This includes being prepared to step outside your comfort zone and being open to doing things differently. There may be better ways to do things that can allow you to get your desired outcome faster! Ultra runners rock in this area; you are prepared to do what ever it takes to improve your running as long as you know it will give you the desired outcome! Your downfall occurs at the next step. Your positive attitude need to extend beyond your ability to run, it needs to include doing the hard work required at the planning stage.
A Plan– A plan of action
A positive attitude means you are prepared to put a plan in place! Ultra runners find this ‘boring’ and choose to skip it. This leaves them with a scattered approach and leaving their success up to good luck! One of three things happens; they improve slowly, don’t improve or worse get injured! There is a solution, you need a plan! It is so important that I’ll say it again, you need a plan! You have to sit down and write out a running plan. This could be with pen and paper, in Excel, in your diary it doesn’t matter. Yes it’s challenging and yes it’s time consuming. Plan your intensity sessions, your long runs, your recovery sessions, plan how you will practice your nutrition, your pacing, plan when your fitness tests will be, plan your biggest week, plan your taper?
Throughout there needs to be progression over a weekly and monthly basis, a systematic approach that gives you certainty you will achieve your goal. You can absolutely work out a plan yourself but make sure you do it! Otherwise this is where looking to a coach or ultra run program, such as The Ultra Adventure, comes in. An ultra coach or ultra run program puts in place a plan, delivers ultra running know how and certainty that you will reach your finish line. This could be us or any other ultra coach, that’s not the point. The point is coach or no coach you need a plan!
Action– Take Massive Action
A plan is only worthwhile if you take action and follow it. Accountability can be priceless in this area. Tick the box when it’s done, highlight every set you complete in green, make yourself accountable to a coach or run buddy. The plan gives you focus and clarity with each set that you are progressing towards your goal, but you need to do it. The plan tells you exactly what you need to do to get from point A to point B, your desired outcome.
A plan give you clarity and focus because you know if you have a long run, hard run or recovery day. Taking action is where you challenge yourself, you progress and you grow! Your plan will need to be revised, modified and changed; it’s only ‘Plan A’! Life may get in the way, fatigue levels may rise quicker than expected, illness might hit. ‘Plan A’ is your start point. You need to be flexible, listen to your body and modify the plan when needed.
Achieve – Achieve your goals and experience the finish line
You have the right attitude, you put a plan in place and you took action. Now all that’s left to do is achieve your goal and experience that finish line feeling! And that’s exactly what you will do – provided you have followed the three steps above! You have grown, you have improved; you have been on a journey and now it’s time to celebrate. Race your race, stick to what you have practiced in training and enjoy the day!
Having now experienced that finish line feeling there is one thing left to do. Celebrate! Celebrate that you have stepped outside your comfort zone, worked hard to achieve your goals and unlocked an unwavering belief in yourself. Before you look forward, look back and see how far you have come. It is often only at this point that you gain perspective on how important each of the three prior steps have been and the growth you have made. Then it’s time to do it all over again!
We leave you with a question, what area is letting you down in achieving your goals? Is it your attitude, a plan, taking action or a failure to finally achieve your goal?
Are you are ready to be successful in ultra running and every area of your life? Put in place The Success Formula and watch yourself achieve your impossible!
Enjoy the adventure.
Run, smile and have fun!
Nick Muxlow