We can learn valuable lessons from sports that can be applied to life and business.
I have learned some great lessons from one of my other passions; dirt bike riding.
And these lessons have been invaluable to my business life.
Focus- Rule number one about dirt bike riding; you go where you are looking.
Business is the same way.
You will go the direction you focus.
If, while riding, you see a large rut in the trail ahead, you will end up in that rut if you focus on it.
You are constantly picking lines and adjusting while you ride.
Business is about making a plan, following that direction and making adjustments to reach your goals.
Business is like a hill climb.
There you are staring up at this large, daunting mountain in front of you, but nothing going to happen until you take action.
So you pick your line twist the throttle and hold on.
Sometimes you make it to the top on your first try and sometimes you get stuck about half way up and have to turn around and hit it again.
Eventually, you make it up the hill.
Develop the necessary Skills- When I first started riding a few years ago, I was terrible.
I fell down all the time.
I couldn't keep up with my buddies.
At one point, I seriously questioned whether I would ever learn how to ride dirt bikes.
I wondered if spending all that money on a motorcycle was such a good idea.
But I stuck with it.
Now, I love it and I'm so glad I didn't give up.
I have found business to be the same way.
It's all about learning the skills needed to be successful.
Some people tell me that it takes a certain personality to do certain things well in business such as sales.
I believe it's all about learning a skill set.
The funny thing, when I was learning how to ride, nobody ever told that I didn't have the personality for riding dirt bikes.
Embrace Failure- We have a saying when it comes to motorcycle riding, "If you don't fall down, you're probably not going fast enough".
Falling down is part of the process.
As a rider, you are constantly on the edge of being out of control.
At least that's what the great riders do.
Failures in business is part of the process.
Pushing yourself to the limit makes you a better business person.
Embrace failure.
Learn from your mistakes.
Set the bar high.
It's okay if you don't make it on the first try.
You can always get back up and try again.
There was one last lesson I would like to leave you with.
It was woven throughout this article, but never mentioned by name.
Did you catch it? It's the importance of persistence.