I recently completed my first ever Duathlon, which means running 5.5 km, biking 30 km, then running 5.5 km again ? and I am so proud of myself that I have to tell the world by writing an article about it now! Four years ago, I laughed at the thought of running 5km, and didn't think it could be done. Luckily, someone came into my life who motivated me and put me on the right path to physical fitness, training, and health. Now it is a huge part of me and of my life, and I know it always will be. I give thanks to this person for showing me the way. I've noticed that experiencing success in business requires much the same attitude, determination, persistence, motivation, mentoring, goal setting, dream seeking, and basically the same process as training for a sport. When I was thinking about starting an online business, I laughed then too, thinking it wasn't possible - that I didn't have the money, time, energy, skills, or knowledge to be successful. Then someone inspired me enough that I joined his program feeling enthusiastic, motivated, and feeling like yes, it really can be done! Knowing that it was the right time of my life to get started, I went through with it, and it was a decision I'm sure I will never regret.



In order to run for longer than just 10 minutes without feeling like I was going to die, it took time, persistence, motivation, and determination. Sometimes I wanted to give up, but I had someone who inspired and motivated me, and this kept me on track. Oftentimes that's all it takes is one special person, or mentor, who can take you to the top. But you can't rely on an external source like this forever ? eventually you have to be able to rely on yourself, and be motivated from within. When it became easy for me to run for 20 minutes 3 times per week, I was feeling pretty elated, knowing that if I worked at it hard and long and consistently enough, that I would achieve my goals, and those goals would keep me fit and healthy. By the end of my first year as a runner, I came in first place in my first 5km race, and won a night's stay in a luxury chalet suite, a gold medal, and $100 in my next race! This only made me want to achieve my next goal, a 10km race! What motivates you to achieve your goals and dreams? This is the question you must ask yourself. If there is nothing there to push you forward that makes you feel good internally, then chances are you won't move forward. You have to want it bad enough!

My business has taken a similar course in that my progress is slow, but steadily increasing. I know that I can achieve success in business like I have in sport, and that it just takes consistent action, and small positive steps every day and every week. My positive results are not all monetary at this point. I am motivated not only by the people I call mentors in my business life, but by the steady increase in traffic to my website, or someone using my article in their ezine, or my name showing up thousands of times in Google, or a stranger writing to ask me a question or make a comment on one of my articles or blog posts. The sales at this point are secondary. I have found an internal motivation that will carry me, and carry my business forward, and you have to find that internal energy as well if you hope to succeed.

So you've found your mentor, and you've found your internal motivation to be successful. What's next? It's time to set your goals and have something in mind that you want to work towards. For me, a race will always motivate me to stay on course with my workouts and training. In fact, if I don't have my next race date set, then it would be too easy for me to just say, ?I don't feel like working out today and there's no need for me to workout, so I won't!? Having a race date set makes me say, ?I have to go workout, I have to run, I have to bike, or I won't be ready for my race when it comes?. When you find your goal, be it in business or in sport, set a date for when you want to accomplish it, and take steps towards achieving it. If I say I want 300 unique visitors to my website per day by the end of next month, then I will surely take steps every day for the next month to achieve that goal. Your goals should be measurable and specific, and you should be able to picture what it's like to have your goal before you even have it so that you stay focused.

Believe in yourself, your goals, your dreams, and stay determined, and you will achieve success in anything you do. My next goals: A half-marathon on August 12th to beat last year's time in a new and beautiful place, and 500 unique visitors to my site daily by September 30th?amongst other things! What motivates you? Who are your mentors? What are your specific goals and dreams? What is your timeframe for achieving them? Time to get cracking! Let's do it!