New Ways To Go

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23927132@N05/ / CC BY 2.0

This Saturday I’ll be sipping a mint julep and watching the Kentucky Derby on TV.  The event coverage (NBC) gets underway at 5 p.m., but actual post time is closer to 6:15. 

The start-up line keeps shifting.  In the last couple of days, Eskendereya, the forerunner, has had to pull out due to a leg injury.  Still in is Sidney’s Candy.  This horse is owned by Jenny Craig, the weight loss entrepreneur. 

And there’s also a filly, Devil May Care, making the Run for the Roses.  If she stays in and starts out of the gate, she’ll be the 40th filly to run the Derby!   How cool is that?  From what I’ve read though, she may not be ready or at her peak right now. 

All the horses competing at Churchill Downs this Saturday have inherent ability.  But the key to their success is something else.  It’s the same thing you need to think about when you consider making a living from your passion. 

There are a lot of similarities between sports and business.   The magnificent horses racing on Saturday have a tremendous support system.  It consists of their owners, trainers, jockeys, sponsors, grooms, veterinarians and others, who help put these horses through their paces and care for their health and well-being.

It’s important to have a support system for your business, too.  It can come from family, friends and society as well as from systems and processes that assist with managing your time. 

The trainers have goals for their racing thoroughbreds.  They work on building stamina, strength and speed.  They work on muscle flexibility and adapting to various surfaces and conditions.   Obedience goals, too, are in the mix, as the horse needs to respond well to his jockey’s bidding. 

In the same way, what works for starting a business is building a team to support you, establishing measurable goals and determining your focus. 

For the entries in Saturday’s race, there’s the dream of standing in the Winner’s Circle.   The purse is $2,000,000.  Reflect on the endeavors by so many for so long leading up to the Run.  It’s over in about 2 minutes.

Win or lose in business or at the Derby, it’s all about the races along the way, the team, the effort, and the systems in place that help a racing thoroughbred to succeed.  It all adds up to  — Preparation.

Hopefully, you’ll watch the race.  But keep in mind that preparation alone may not be enough.  You may need something more.  Maybe something like fortitude (think Barbaro) or pluck (think Mine That Bird) or even heart (think Secretariat). 

No matter what that indefinable something extra is, if I had to place my bet for Saturday, it would be on Awesome Act.  I like his name.  The name kind of implies he’s got a great team behind him, the passion and the intention to succeed. 

What does your horse sense tell you?

Trackback URI |