Apr
16
You can go further than you thought possible. Lessons from goal reachers:
Take steps. “You keep moving. Before you know it 40 days go by,” said Mike Fernandez, chairman of investment firm MBF Healthcare Partners.
That’s how he completed a 508-mile walk along the El Camino, an ancient route from France’s eastern border to Galicia, Spain.
Start with one. Fernandez was inspired to undertake the 2013 trek while waiting out his toddler granddaughter’s open-heart surgery.
He’d long considered the spiritual hike, which culminates at the shrine of St. James the Great.
Turning it into to a fundraiser — pledges resulted in $5 million for Miami Children’s Hospital — gave the philanthropic businessman a chance to help the institution that brought his granddaughter back to health. “It is the most important thing I do,” he told IBD.
Get grounded. Others along the trail greeted Fernandez the same way: “Good morning, pilgrim.”
“They don’t know if you are a shoeshine guy or a titan of industry. You learn we’re all pretty simple,” said Fernandez, who wrote “Humbled By the Journey,” a book about the experience.
Gain perspective. Walking 15 miles a day made Fernandez rue his bad back and knees, until he saw a trekker in a wheelchair pushing herself forward.
“You start seeing people in worse shape than you are in. It brings the very best out in you,” he said.
Do it. Guidance Software interim CEO Barry Plaga wasn’t much of a runner when he signed up for an Ironman competition. But after watching one on TV, he gave the biking, running and swimming event a try. The first one whipped and energized him.
As he crossed the finish line, the announcer bellowed: “You are now an Ironman.”
“It’s a great validation,” Plaga said. “I thought: I have to do this again. I can do so much better.”
Use the solitude. Long training hours paid off in unexpected ways. “You have a lot of time by yourself to think,” Plaga said. “I plan a lot of things in my head when I run.”
Make it beneficial. During one event, Plaga’s team raised $800,000 for Smile Train, which pays for kids’ cleft palate surgery.
Plaga found that completing nine Ironman events, plus an even more grueling, three-day Ultraman triathlon, also strengthened his professional abilities. “My stamina for long days at work has never been better,” he said. “No project or event is too daunting.”
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