Do you know the difference between a marathon and an ultra marathon?
By definition, a marathon is a 42.2 kilometer run. Most people consider this distance as the maximum of human capabilities. And an ultra-marathon is everything above 42.2 kilometers: 50 kilometers, 80 kilometers and more.
Marathons are run on a flat street, while ultra marathons are run in difficult terrain, through mountains and deserts. You can physically prepare for a marathon and finish it without problems. But in an ultra-marathon, none of the participants can be sure he will finish. Even the best preparation can’t protect you from suffering and unexpected crises.
The art of ultra running is the art of overcoming crises. It’s the art of making your mind prevail over the weakness of your body. It’s the art of suffering.
Three years ago, I learned I wouldn’t make another year.
No, I wasn’t sick. I am not going to tell you a doleful story. I simply decided to do something that by far exceeded my limits – to run an ultra marathon. An impossible undertaking, especially that I had been hardly running in the past at all, and I had been poor at sports at school.
I had no idea how to run 100km, especially in those conditions. How to do it? How to get down to it? I told my idea to my father. His reaction was immediate:
“100km? Running? In the desert? Are you crazy? Do you realize what kind of people go there? You are going to die there!”
Did you know that most people don’t realize their dreams, because they consider them as impossible to achieve?
And that’s why they don’t do anything to realize them.
Often, we think something is impossible because we simply don’t know how to do it. I have a simple solution for that:
Ask somebody who has done it already!
I looked up in a phone book a two-time winner of the ultra race I wanted to run. I called him to invite him for coffee, so he could give me advice on how to train and what equipment to use. Though he didn’t take me seriously at first, I didn’t give up. After my third attempt, he finally relented. He not only explained everything to me, he even gave me some of his equipment.
After six months of cruel training and over a thousand kilometers run, we went to the ‘African hell’. He won the race for the third time and I did something that I had considered impossible before: Despite the infernal heat and horrendous fatigue, I not only finished the race, but I placed in the top 30% of the field.
IMPOSSIBLE IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
I realized that most of the limitations we are exposed to in our lives are not physical limitations imposed on us by the world or the laws of physics.
Almost all limitations we are subject to are mental limitations, limitations in our heads.
If we think something is impossible, then, at first, it is just our thought, and the reality may be completely different.
“Impossible” is just an opinion.
Six months before, I considered running 100km to be impossible for me.
I thought I would either collapse on the way, or give up and not make it to the finish line. In reality, it turned out to be absolutely doable of course… after the appropriate preparation.
I thought to myself: “I did something in sports that I had considered impossible before. Let’s see then whether anything impossible can be done outside sports.”
“HOW DO YOU START?”
100 years ago, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the wealthiest person in the world was Andrew Carnegie. Andrew believed that entrepreneurial success has its source in the mind and the personality of the entrepreneur himself. Fascinated by the young journalist Napoleon Hill, Andrew gave him a mission. He introduced Napoleon to the most successful entrepreneurs in America and asked him to construct the first philosophy of success, based on the interviews with these businessmen.
Napoleon spent years talking to these richest people in the U.S.A., and after 20 years he published the results in his famous book, Think and Grow Rich.
Roughly 100 years later, I came up with the idea to do the same in the 21st century, i.e., to interview some of the best entrepreneurs, the wealthiest people, in order to find out the secrets of their success. But this time, I ventured to do it one level higher and to meet top businessmen not just from the United States but from all around the world. Here we are exclusively talking about self-made billionaires.
Great vision, but there is one hitch: Nobody has ever done anything like this before. Nobody has ever tried to. Why? Because the venture seems impossible to complete. Let’s look at the stats:
Billionaires are an extremely rare breed. Statistically, only 1 in 5 million people in the world is a billionaire. A typical billionaire owns for example 200 hotels, 400 factories, 3,000 restaurants or 15,000 shops.
The probability of meeting a billionaire by chance is comparable to winning the pot in a national lottery.
For the project, I needed to interview at least 20 billionaires. Do you know anybody who won the pot a in national lottery 20 times? Common sense tells us this is plainly impossible.
Can you imagine my anxiety and insecurity, when faced with this gigantic challenge? How to get to them? Where to start?
Then I got the first promising contact from a friend. It was a phone number belonging to a former employee of one of the billionaires.
I needed to call him and convince him to put me in contact with the billionaire. I was procrastinating for weeks, gathering courage, weighing all pros and cons, putting off the call for later. I just couldn’t overcome my fear. I was scared to make this first step, but…
FEAR IS THE WORST ENEMY OF SUCCESS
One of the tricks I use in my various challenges is the so-called “promise card.” I wrote on the card my promise: “I will write and publish a world bestseller by the end of June 2016.” And I put my signature on the back.
I printed two dozen of these cards, laminated them and distributed them among friends, so that they could keep me accountable for that promise.
I always carry one with me so I don’t forget about my main challenge.
I made these cards when procrastinating with the call, and I gave one of them to the friend who gave me the phone number. His reaction changed my life beyond recognition. He said: “Listen! I gave you a contact to a billionaire. And you are giving me some damn scrap of paper instead of calling and taking action? Come on, pull yourself together! Get serious!”
And I humbly took the phone and called the guy.
And this way, my great adventure started. Since then, astonishing things happened. I have travelled several times around the world and I regularly meet its wealthiest inhabitants. Today, I personally know and have met 25 billionaires. Do you know anybody who won the pot in the national lottery 25 times? The richest people on the planet spend time with me, invite me to their homes for lunch or dinner, send me Christmas cards or call me.
If somebody told me four years ago what my life would look like today, I would declare him insane. And all that happened because of what this friend made me realize:
The gap between ignorance and knowledge is much less than the gap between knowledge and action.
IT’S NOT ABOUT KNOWING, IT’S ABOUT DOING!
So:
1. Take action now, just do it!
2. Overcome your fear and make the first step – even if you don’t know the next step!
3. Take a risk even without any guarantee of success!
What else can we learn from this story?
That…
Independently of how improbable a goal is, your directed action can bend the probability in your favor.
And what seemed impossible becomes possible for you.
~ Rafael Badziag
IMPOSSIBLE IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
I often ask billionaires what achievement they are most proud of in their lives.
For me, the achievement I am most proud of is finishing a 111-kilometer non-stop run through the Sahara Desert in 105° Fahrenheit (40°C) hea
t.
It is called the Sahara Ultra 111. At the same time, it was the most traumatic experience in my life. Never in my life, have I suffered as much as during this run.
But apparently, I was not alone. It was a borderline experience not just for me. The field consisted of the best European ultra-runners … except for me, an amateur. Despite that, almost half of the participants gave up due to circulatory collapse, dehydration or sunstroke. The majority of those who finished had lost their consciousness along the way.
Before the start, these pros were looking at me wondering what I was doing there. They were aware of what was ahead of us and thought there was no chance I would finish that race. And indeed, the run turned out to be an ordeal as I started with an injured knee. After only 20 kilometers, I already had wounds on my soles and blood was squelching in my shoes.
At kilometer 32, I realized it was over. I was prepared for a crisis after 60 kilometers, but at 32? I sank into despair. How was I going to run another 80 kilometers, if after 32 kilometers I was already at the end of my rope.
I was getting stuck in the sand. I couldn’t breathe due to a jammed nerve.
I was limping. With every step, pain in my knee paralyzed me, and my feet went numb. And on top of it, I was boiling in my own sweat.
I decided to quit.
But then, I realized that I had told all my friends about the race. Remember the “Promise card”? And now they were crossing fingers and cheering for me. After finishing several ultra marathons, I had a reputation for being a tough guy. And now, should I give up? What am I going to tell them? I had a knee pain? It was simply not an option!
I consciously opted for another 16 hours of torture without any guarantee of finishing the race. I decided to push on as long as I was still conscious – while on the verge of collapsing.
If you want to do the impossible, cut off your way back
and put yourself in a situation of no return.
And now, the worst, the hottest part started. It was in 105° Fahrenheit (40°C) in the shade … but there was no shade. I was literally reeling, exhausted and overheated. I was in agony, had hallucinations. I realized now, it’s really over.
And then I recalled Winston Churchill’s words:
“If you are going through hell, keep going!”
And these words saved me. I realized that in ultra runs as well as in life:
Success is achieved by those who don’t give up
and fight until they achieve it.
So, I repeated to myself Churchill’s motto over and over again:
“Never, never, never give up!”
And now my goal was just to take another step and another, and another … and not drop from exhaustion ... and try not to think of how many steps there are ahead. Of course, on the way to the finish line, I experienced several other crises. Despite that, I managed to reach the finish line at kilometer 111. It took me 21.5 hours of hellish struggle. During the run, I drank over 5 gallons (20 liters) of water and lost 12 pounds of my body weight.
As of today, only three people in the world have managed to finish this ultra run without fainting. I am proud to be one of them.
I realized that…
Even when you think it’s over and there is no way you can continue, when you are at the end of your rope and can’t take any more pain, it doesn’t really mean it’s over. In reality, you can endure much, much more.
In my case, I thought it was already over at kilometer 32. In reality, I could run 80 kilometers more, up to the finish line at kilometer 111.
WE CAN DO MUCH MORE THAN WE REALIZE
I realized how far in our everyday lives we are from the limits of our capabilities, how little from our enormous potential we usually exploit.
If we can only force ourselves to come close to our limits, we are able to astonish the world and ourselves.
Because. . .
“Only those who will risk going too far
can possibly find out how far one can go.”
~ T.S. Eliot
Which of your dreams do you consider so improbable that you are afraid to go for it – for fear of failure? When will you dare to take the first step?
After death? Or maybe, you would prefer to experience this magic as long as you are alive? The magic to do the impossible, to achieve even the most improbable of dreams.
We can act only in the present. It’s in the here and now that we can create the future and make our dreams of today become the reality of tomorrow.
~ Rafael Badziag
But tomorrow may never come. So, don’t put it off. Make the first step today!
And remember:
IMPOSSIBLE IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK !
About Rafael
Rafael Badziag is a Germany-based global entrepreneur, motivational writer, speaker and angel investor. In the late nineties, he built his first multimillion-dollar business Raddiscount.de pioneering e-commerce in Europe. It was the first bike online-shop in Germany, which he developed into an established business in the German speaking market. He then expanded his ventures into an array of internet-based services and products in several countries.
His passion is learning his limits and crossing them, as well as learning the limitations of the people around him and helping them to overcome those.
Rafael is founder of the NoLimits project, where he fights against the limitations of his body, mind and soul. You may find him sprinting on a treacherous mountain trail, running a 111 km ultra-race across the Sahara Desert, or dancing a tango on the floor of a fancy Milonga. On his English blog, NoLimits.co, he describes his extreme experiences and inspires others to follow his example, to also undertake challenges and to reach seemingly unachievable goals. The motto of this project is given by T.S. Eliot’s words: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” The mission here is to inspire readers to live their lives fully with passion and zeal, to make them leave their limits behind, so they can rise above the boundaries of mediocrity and experience their full potential, exceptional success and deep satisfaction in their lives.
His expeditions and remarkable journeys have taken him several times around the world, from the ice desert of Antarctica through the hottest deserts on the planet to the Peaks of the Seven Summits. He has visited over 50 countries and all seven continents.
Rafael has given the second-most popular TED Talk in the history of his country with over 1 million views.
Recently, Rafael has been travel ing the world and meeting the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, all of them self-made billionaires, from various regions, industries, cultures, religions and age groups. He managed to open the most inaccessible doors and got access to some of the wealthiest people on the planet.
By conducting face-to-face interviews with them, he was able to obtain firsthand information on their methods and mindsets. He reveals their success secrets on his website, TheBillionDollarSecret.com, the corresponding YouTube channel as well as the upcoming book with the same title.
Some people call him, The Napoleon Hill of the 21st Century , others – The Billionaire Magnet . His writing and business activities have a truly global scope.
Rafael is a member of the National Association of Experts, Writers & Speakers.
To learn more about Rafael’s recent activities, visit his English websites:
• http://TheBillionDollarSecret.com
• http://NoLimits.co
Or watch his YouTube channel:
• http://youtube.com/TheBillionDollarSecret
You can contact Rafael at:
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/rafaelbadziag
CHAPTER 4
TEN BUSINESS SUCCESS SECRETS FOR CREATIVES
BY TRACY AND SONYA SAYWELL
People who are creative have a lot to offer the world of business but they might not know it. Some of our most talented designers and artists fail because they have “no business se
nse.” Yet the creative process they know so well contains many elements essential for success.
During the years of running our own businesses, helping hundreds of students through both creative and business challenges, we have learnt that the same skills that make you thrive as a creative can help you thrive in business – if only you know how to apply them. Come with us for a sneak peek into our creative world to see what business secrets can be learnt. . .
Success Secret #1:
JUST GET STARTED!
My daughter, Sonya, and I design resort wear and decorator items and run a college for creatives. My day starts early in the morning while Sonya works late into the night. At dawn, you’ll find me in my studio mixing bright watercolours and inks, pouring them on paper and watching the colours explode into each other – bougainvillea pinks and ocean turquoises, shadowy purples and cool greens. It’s the chemistry of my own excitement and the materials themselves that motivates me. When you are creative and you love your art, you never have a problem getting started. Your passion drives you. Your ideas light up the world in front of you and you just start moving forwards. This creative excitement is exactly what’s needed for business. A spirit of adventure and play where you don’t have to know everything before you start.
Success Secret #2:
MISTAKES ARE MARVELLOUS
Approach your business with the same sense of exploration and excitement you do all your creative projects.
Unpredictability is a magical part of the creative process, especially when you work with inks and watercolours. We’re never quite sure which way the water will run or how the pigments will disperse. It’s spontaneous and playful - new possibilities emerge right in front of our eyes. Not everything is under control, and that’s what makes it so fascinating. We make mistakes but we’re not concerned. Mistakes open up new ideas, new directions. Business can also be this unpredictable. Things don’t always flow the way you were thinking but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Ready, Set, Go! (Special Edition) Page 3
