Pain is Temporary
“Pain is temporary. Pride is forever!”
– Bystander sign at Mile 21 of the NYC Marathon
The 50th running of the New York City Marathon was held on Sunday, November 7th. We honor all the runners, their families, support teams, and you, our readers, by directing our focus on the “Power of Intention.”
Intention: Desire Made Manifest
Two girls; one job. One sends a xeroxed resume in a plain envelope with a generic cover letter. The other analyzes the prospect company, Googles the executives doing the hiring and checks backgrounds on LinkedIn. She writes a tailored letter, outlining her desires and qualifications, but only after talking about how she sees the needs of the company and how she’d like to help. She puts it down on carefully selected paper in a custom font, putting her style, desire and analytical skills out there on the line.
Who wins? Not sure, but one of them earned a greater share of our attention. Intention is Desire Made Manifest. Speaker or salesperson, you’ll find that the extra time spent rehearsing your delivery, polishing your signature, finishing out an extra special opening are all ways of demonstrating the degree of desire to be heard and understood. Content is one thing, but the intention to really engage and penetrate the listener’s mind separates the ones who win from those who are merely smart.
Intention: Senior to Sensation
A marathon is not an everyday event. Even for those exceptionally trained and experienced runners, there comes a point where the body says No! The mind starts fabricating believable explanations about how stopping is the right thing to do, and how humoring the muscle pains working their way up from the tarmac, through the legs into the mind might make sense. But then, the spirit checks in and says, “Hold on, we’re not here to humor the whining muscles, but to finish what we started!”
Somewhere in the last third of the race, we discover that while physical sensations and strategies are important, it is pure unadulterated desire made manifest – Intention – that hurls the body through the last miles and across the finish line. The intention to perform is senior to and can outweigh any momentary sensation of fatigue, fear, or doubt.
So, you’re a speaker. What do you want to achieve with this presentation or sales call? How badly do you want it? Can you take it beyond the message all the way into the outcome?
Teams: Fired Up from The Center
Finishing a marathon requires that families awaken with the runner, who leaves the household in the outrageous early morning, finishes ever longer training runs, and gets to work after a quick shower. It’s a team thing – and it all starts with the deep intention of the runner at the center of the sphere of committed energy which grows for a year or more in advance of the event, builds to the climax, and ends with the success of a single runner, crossing the line.
At the finish is one runner; in the wings are entire families, office supporters and sponsors. It begins with you, but your excitement, desire and intention are required to put the fire in the belly of the team. As a leader or manager, it’s not enough to have the big idea, or even to sign the check to cover a training program for the masses. The fire won’t ignite without your week in, week out demonstration of the intention that you’re still interested, committed and holding yourself accountable – along with everyone on the team.
A lot of people express an interest in running a marathon. Few enter. Fewer finish. It’s about intention.
A lot of businesses express interest in creating winning sales teams, and integrating story, product and service. Intention is the difference.
Sustained Intention is what distinguishes mere desire from manifest accomplishment.
Pain is Temporary. Pride is Forever!
Photo Finish:
Back on November 7, 2010, our tireless President, Lucy Lanzar, ran and finished the New York City Marathon with a time of 4:56:00. This was her first marathon. She’s still a dedicated and focused runner today.
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