Monday Business Motivation: One Foot In Front of the Other

“One foot in front of the other” is a saying with two popular meanings. The first stresses the fundamentality of completing a task and the other is about progressing steadily forward. Many entrepreneurs know the meaning of the first description when they open their office doors each Monday with a mega list of duties, phone calls and appointments. They understand the only way to accomplish the list is taking each task one at a time until they are all finished.

The other meaning might have more significance to athletes or runners who understand the only way to move forward or progress in a race or activity is to “put one foot in front of the other,” until they accomplish their goal, cross the finish line and succeed.

Today both meanings of that phrase have significance to me as I prepare to leave my office next week to take a personal and professional trip. I have been an entrepreneur for almost 20 years and haven’t found the time for a weeklong professional trip because all those thousands of entrepreneurial tasks that require my attention.

As I wake up next week with one of the most popular female icons in the running world inspiring me and 13 other women to run in Central Park in New York City every morning before day long conversations and activities to bring global running clubs to women and girls, I will need to remember the second meaning of the phrase “one foot in front of the other” as I try to keep up with some of these marathoners. I realize the only way I’ll accomplish this task is by living the phrase.

As I trained for my new experience, I have pushed myself past my typical 2 mile runs every day for 12 years to 5 mile runs within the past two weeks simply by putting one foot in front of the other and using fortitude to get me through. A 5 mile run is quite a distance from a 26 mile run but I can see why and how eventually that goal can be accomplished. It has given me new insight into my business life as well. I understand now that any new risk, big contract, higher income level or impossible client to secure, can be realized by taking it one step at a time.