More Wood Behind Less Arrows
- Posted on
- By Antonio Gonzalez
- Posted in endurance philosophy
- 0
"You do something all day long, don't you? Every one does. They have all been either walking or reading, or writing, or thinking. The only trouble is that they do it about a great many things and I do it about one. If they took the time in question and applied it in one direction, to one object, they would succeed. Success is sure to follow such application. The trouble lies in the fact that people do not have an object, one thing, to which they stick, letting all else go. Success is the product of the severest kind of mental and physical application." - Thomas Edison
There is a saying I love that gets to the essence of prioritization: 'More wood behind less arrows.'
The biggest mistake I see endurance athletes make is signing up for a race and simply adding the training time required to be successful at the event to their 'quiver' of responsibilities.
The most successful athletes are experts at prioritization. They select the most important 'arrows' in their life, and they put as much 'wood' behind those arrows as possible.
In my own race experience, the most disappointing results have occurred when I showed up with too light an arrow. Either I didn't put in enough training time, or I failed to prioritize my preparation for the event.
For a challenge to be worthwhile, there must be a risk that you may not succeed, even if you put everything you have into it. The most satisfying challenges require an arrow with a lot of wood behind it to ensure success.
Choose your arrows carefully, and invest as much as possible in them.
Antonio Gonzalez
Tri Town Bicycles
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