In three days, I will run my first marathon on September 16, 2017. In the spring, I ran a half marathon and decided my body was up to the task of a full one. After all, I am not getting any younger and I thought it was better to try now instead of waiting until I would have to use a scooter or hoverboard.
As I have trained for this marathon, I have thought about how it applies to marketing. Both can be taxing and both take preparation. But there was one aspect that stood out to me.
Source: 3 Myths About Starting a Company in the Midwest
This Entrepreneur.com article proclaimed what Hoosiers and Buckeyes have known for quite some time. The Midwest is a great place to run and thrive in business.
While it’s true we don’t have the high office lease prices of the left and right coast, and we don’t have twenty-four-hour sushi bars, We do have quite a bit of business going on among amber waves of grain.
Most of my experience with the area has been in the Indianapolis area, but I am learning quite a bit about Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio these days.
Indianapolis has become a tech powerhouse thanks, in part, to Salesforce. Dayton has seen great growth in medicine and tech startup industries. In all these cities, I’ve witnessed hardworking, innovative leaders that are taking the best of technology and making their businesses sing. Truly, the Midwest, especially around Indiana and Ohio, is a great place to start a business.
On Sunday, September 2, 2017, at Salem Church of God, Pastor Richard Triplett preached on how to Be the Change. My sketch notes from the sermon are above.
The sermon was based on the Book of Nehemiah.
The big takeaway I received from the sermon was that in spite of the massive amount of transformation our world has faced in a few short decades, most of us still fear when things begin changing. It takes a certain amount of brokenness to make change possible. The saddest situation may be when we insist on things staying the same even when we admit it is broken.
Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth by Samuel Chand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was just what the doctor ordered. My wife and I have gone through two years of leadership pain. We thought following the plan God laid before us meant sunshine and unicorns. When things didn’t go the way we thought they should, a friend recommended this book. It has been very instrumental in reminding me that pain is actually part of growth and leadership. It all comes down to this equation:
Growth = Change
Change = Loss
Loss = Pain
thus, Growth = Pain.
It is not something American Christians want to hear, but it has proven true for me. The book uses testimonials from pastors and non-profit leaders from many backgrounds. The author’s story is also a powerful anecdote on what happens when leaders persevere through the pain. I fully recommend this book.
Seventeen miles wasn’t my goal. I was determined to get nineteen miles in. But after seventeen miles, there was a drawbridge between me and my goal. It looked like a mountain. I had been training in Ohio. But now I was in Florida. It was 10:00 AM and 91° Fahrenheit. My water bottles were nearly empty. I decided to call it off and get a ride.
Next month (September 2017), I plan to run The Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio. It will be my first marathon and I have been training for the race. I was determined to keep to my schedule despite the change of locale.
Three days later, I am thinking about what the run taught me.