A Sense of Urgency

by Sue Aquila

I was fortunate to recently spend some time with one of the members of our management team. She was training some new staff and mentioned the need to teach our new co-workers the ability to work with “a sense of urgency.”

I am now a few short weeks from my first Ironman World Championship. Achieving this goal has required three years of dedication, consistency, focus and luck. I came to our sport at age 40 and I am starting to feel the weight of change in my life. My nest is now empty, menopause looms, my body is aging and I often wonder if my willingness to suffer will eventually wane.

Despite these potential challenges, I am feeling that welcomed sense of urgency. I am going to the World Championship to immerse myself in the hoopla and to race. I am feeling the need to celebrate every moment and give myself the potential gift of having the race of my life.

When I started triathlon, my goal was to cross an ironman off my bucket list. I was one and done (still embarrassing how adamant I was at the time!). Once the post race aches and pains faded, I knew I had found my sport.

I improved greatly by my second ironman and had an inkling that with some help (enter Gordo as my coach) there was more room to improve. By my third race, and a phone call with Gordo, my eyes were opened up to a bigger goal; an achievable goal but one that would require another level of commitment. Suddenly, there was a sense of urgency.

Urgency, to me, implies having a plan and working your plan in a very specific path. When I started my first business, the path was very clear. I had $150,000 to make it happen (for construction, equipment, staff, etc.) and not a penny more. The day we opened, there was nothing left but hope, fear and an incredible sense of feeling alive. Much like I feel when I line up for an ironman.

What if we approached triathlon from the same perspective? If you knew your ability, time or money was limited, how would you approach the sport? What would be your plan? How would you express your sense of urgency?

This path is not for everyone. It changes the sport and your relationships within the sport. Not forever, but just for a time. An urgent period of time.

Sue started her triathlon journey with a 50lb weight loss and continues as a Kona qualifier. As a successful entrepreneur, she believes that, “You can run your business like your training and your training like your business!” As a coach (USAT Certified), she helps athletes to develop success in all areas of their lives: family, health and work. She blogs regularly at fewoman.com. You can find her on Twitter @fewoman.