Is Life A Sprint or A Marathon?

This is probably something that you've heard before, especially if a situation you just went through didn't turn out like you expected. Someone, probably a well-intentioned family member or friend, said, "Don't worry, life is a marathon, not a sprint." While I won't deny that there is some value in the sentiment behind that statement, I would argue that life is something altogether different than a sprint or a marathon, and neither of those analogies do it justice. Let's take a look at them both and then I'll tell you what a better comparison is.

So, why is a sprint a bad analogy? If we treat life like a sprint, essentially what we are saying is that it take a significant or maximum amount of effort over a short period of time. It involves taking the short-term view of life and our situations. In this frame of mind, it's easy to be beaten down by any one difficult or challenging situation. It's easy to become overwhelmed and feel like we don't have enough hours in the day the accomplish everything that we need to. It's easy to look at others and think "how much further ahead" they are than us. We fall into the comparison trap. I'm guilty of this almost every day. Most recently in my home business. I have only been involved for a few years and yet I find myself comparing my progress to those I interact with, who have been doing this for decades. There is a time for goal-setting and aspiring to progress, but that should never involve comparison and it should take into account where you are and more importantly, who you are. Treating life as a sprint is a great recipe for frustration, disappointment, and burnout.

What about a marathon? That's a better analogy, right? Well, maybe slightly, but not really. Here's what happens when we treat life as a marathon or try to take that mindset. We tend to develop habits of procrastination or laziness, and not necessarily on purpose. After all, I've got all the time in the world right? Why not take it easy and just enjoy myself now? I can work hard tomorrow. Our level of effort and urgency in our work and relationships starts to suffer. Many people have never run a marathon, so we get this idea in our heads that it involves a little effort over a long period of time, when the reality is that marathon runners expend immense effort over long periods of time. There is no single mile that isn't difficult. If our goals are set well, human nature will cause most of us to simply float through life without a sense of urgency. So again, this analogy falls significantly short of how we should really be operating in our lives.

So, you ask, is there any analogy that's better? Should we just abandon this altogether? I think there is a great sports analogy, and here it is. Life isn't a marathon or a sprint, life is like a decathlon. For those of you that have no idea what that is, a decathlon is a track and field "event" (I use that term loosely) that is actually made up of 10 (dec) different events performed over a period of two days. What makes this such a great analogy is that these events are so unique and while there are ten of them, there are also definite times of rest between them. There are 100 meter sprints, 1600m runs. They do pole vault, long jump, high jump. They throw the shot-put and they run the hurdles. How often in life, is any one day exactly like the day before it? How often do you find yourself doing something or being forced to operate in a way that is completely different than what you did the day before? That's exactly what life is! No two days are the same. Some days you have to go slower and more steady, some days you have to sprint, some days you have to jump hurdles. And yet, we also know that without periods of rest between these times, we would never be able to sustain our level of performance. We have to train, study, and learn on a daily basis, all sorts of different skills because no one skill is going to allow us to accomplish all of our challenges. This is exactly why, every four years at the Olympics, the winner of the decathlon is given the title, "Worlds Greatest Athlete." They have shown their ability to perform ten unique events at a level that is consistently better than anyone else in the world. And in the end, our success in life will be determined by our ability to not only perform different tasks and overcome unique challenges, but do so on a consistent basis. So next time someone tells you that life is a sprint or a marathon, tell them that actually, life is more like a decathlon; because it is!