Cultivating a Marathon Mindset

I’m not exactly what you would picture as an athlete. As my wife is fond of telling just about everyone we meet, my lack of prowess on a basketball court or baseball diamond is pretty legendary. Even I have to admit: most of the time, it’s not pretty.

But, despite that reputation, there’s a space on the wall in my home dedicated to athletic achievement. Yes, my athletic achievement. And, it’s one that I’m especially proud of. On a series of hooks engraved with my name hang more than a dozen medals of all shapes, sizes and colors, most bearing the word “marathon” or “half-marathon” on them somewhere. They are a daily reminder to me that mind can indeed conquer matter, that effort can equal success, and that perseverance can triumph over talent.

Most importantly, they remind me that most things truly worth celebrating are really hard to achieve.

It’s a theme that’s run through my career as well. No matter the position I’ve held, there’s always been one constant: writing. From newspapers and magazines to TV, the excitement of seeing my byline on the page has never ceased to be exciting to me. But, for all the ‘glamour’ of being on television, winning awards and having people stop you in the grocery store to take pictures with them (no joke), the reality is that being a good reporter—an effective reporter—is often also an exhausting, frustrating and thankless job. It takes dedication and a strong work ethic to get through the long hours and stressful deadlines, and sometimes, that can make the future seem pretty bleak.

So, why did I do it?

I did it for the very same reasons I chose to run that first marathon: I wasn’t really sure if I could. And, I wanted—maybe even needed—to prove myself wrong. I took the tougher road precisely because it’s hard, but also because I believed it had the power to improve my life. And, I stuck with it. I set a long-term goal that I knew would take months of serious training to achieve. If I wanted to conquer that goal, I knew I’d have to put in the background work to make it happen. Shortcuts weren’t an option if I wanted to cross that finish line.

My career trajectory landed me with No Limit Agency* and 1851 Franchise for precisely the same reasons: the work we’re doing is hard. We’re disrupting an industry that’s been rooted in tradition for decades. And, we’re in it for long-term success—ours and yours. I’m truly proud of the ways that 1851 is shining the spotlight on those driving franchising toward a brighter future through their successes and their connections with the communities they serve.

I’ve long believed that storytelling is one of mankind’s most important tools. It first connected us to one another when we lived in caves, and it connects us now, in more exciting ways than ever before. The stories we have the privilege of telling in 1851 prove just how important those connections are, because they are helping to change the conventional narrative on franchising. It’s an important undertaking, because it’s hard, because it’s proving skeptics wrong and because it does have the power to illustrate how our industry is truly changing lives.

Next week, I’ll have finished my third marathon in three years here in Chicago. Or, maybe I won’t. Either way, that’s not the point. The point is: I embraced the challenge to do something harder than I thought I could (or should). And, because of that, I’ve already won.

So many across our industry are winning their own races, too: the multi-unit franchisees making their mark; the driven entrepreneurs changing the world by bringing their innovative ideas to the masses; the investors putting it all on the line to back the next great thing.

Together, you’re pushing franchising to a brighter future. I can’t wait to tell the world about it right here on 1851, because—let’s face it: I’m probably still a long shot to end up playing in the World Series.