How to Run the Race of Life to Win
Life is a marathon, not a hundred meters sprint.
The runner has to prepare himself in many ways before participating in the event.
Similarly, we will have to prepare thoroughly in order to run the race of life successfully.
In this article, we will discover how a marathon runner prepares himself for the race and what life lessons we can draw from it.
1. Training
A Marathon runner has to undergo strict and rigorous training to prepare for the run.
I was watching an interview with an Olympic runner and the interviewer asked about her training.
She said that she has to get up early and start training every day at 6 o’clock in the morning.
She undergoes training for 6 to 8 hours daily without any holidays.
A marathon runner cannot even think of running the marathon race without undergoing strict, consistent training.
The same is true in life.
If we are planning to run and win the marathon race of life, then we have to undergo strict and regular training for it.
2. Discipline
Another vital aspect of marathon runners' life and training is 
If there is no discipline, a marathon runner as no substance to run.
He has to be disciplined about how he spends his time, what he eats, where he goes, how much time he can sleep.
His life is under total discipline from morning till night.
He cannot do things normal people can do.
It may seem very harsh and restricting, but he has the end goal in mind and so gladly accepts these restrictions.
In life, if you want to succeed you have to undergo strict discipline.
It is only when you have discipline in life, will you achieve something great and be an inspiration to others.
3. Light Clothes
Have you ever seen a marathon runner running in a three-piece suit?
No, none of us have.
He has to run in very light clothes.
What does this speak to us?
It speaks to us that we cannot carry on in life if we carry all the baggage with us.
We cannot afford to carry the baggage of our past failures and setbacks.
If you hold on to the baggage, then it will slow down your speed and be a hindrance in your life.
Yesterday’s gone so let it go gracefully.
Look to the future, not to the past
Don’t rest on your past laurels and don’t let past failures affect your future.
4. The Right Mindset
Before a marathon runner starts his race, he has already played out the whole race in his mind.
He has developed the 
He has formulated his plans. He has a plan A and plan B.
He doesn’t have a mindset of giving up, but a mindset of finishing the race no matter what happens.
In life, we need to have the right mindset to succeed and finish our race.
You need to have a long-term mindset.
5. Train in Hiddenness
All the training that the runner does is done in hiddenness.
Hardly anyone knows about his training regime.
Similarly in the race of life, our training will not be noticeable to the people.
We don’t even have to announce our training schedule to the people
It is something which we have to do in secret.
Whether anyone notices or not should not be our concern.
Watch How to Win at Life by Robin Sharma
6. Needs a Good Trainer
In order to win the Olympic medal, the marathon runner should have a good trainer or coach.
He has to be under the guidance and training of a good coach or trainer.
Most of his success depends upon the trainer or coach
In real life, you need to have a good life coach to help us succeed and 
A good life coach will guide you with his experience and expertise.
He will act as an accountability partner who is vital to your success.
7. Focused on His Goal
A marathon runner is solely focused on winning the medal.
All his energy, training, and time is consumed with just one focus - winning the medal.
In the race of life, you have to be laser-focused on your end goal.
You cannot afford to get distracted.
As long as your goals are not achieved, you should not divert your attention to any other pursuits, however good they may be.
Maintaining the right focus and doing it consistently will take you to the heights of success.
Often, the good is the enemy of the best
8. Being Very Careful About His Diet
A marathon runner is very choosy about his diet.
He cannot eat whatever he wants.
His diet is carefully selected by a dietician or nutritionist.
It has to be full of proteins and all that is necessary to increase his energy levels, speed, and mental alertness.
Similarly in the race of life, it is very important to consume only those things that will contribute to our life goals.
Anything that will hamper our personal growth has to be radically cut off - whether they are certain persons or preoccupations or habits.
Get rid of all toxic persons and things so that you may have the energy and zest to finish your race and win the medal.
9. Starts the Race Slowly at First
The well-trained runner knows that he has to start the race slowly in the beginning.
He has to conserve his energy for the ultimate round where he will be needing it.
Many new runners don’t realize this secret and start with a blaze.
Many of them never even finish the race because they have spent all their energy right at the beginning.
Start slow in the race of life.
Slowly pick up speed when you are warmed up.
Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Slow and steady wins the race
Will these principles help you with the race of your life?
10. Maintain Balance While Running
Finally, the marathon racer has to learn how to carry himself throughout his run.
It’s very important how he begins, how he maintains his posture during the run, and how he manages to finish.
If he is not careful to balance himself during all of these 3 phases of the run, he may lose the race.
In the race of life, there has to be a healthy balance in everything that we do.
There should not be anything that is overdone or imbalanced.
Our work-life balance has to be maintained. Our relationships have to be balanced.
Your finance portfolio has to be rightly balanced.
Maintaining balance is the key to running well in life.
11. They Finish Well
Many people begin well in life but don’t finish well.
It's not important how you start. It’s very important how you finish.
There are many stories of how someone went from rags to riches.
Hats off to these people.
But have you not read about people who went from riches to rags?
I have. Unfortunately, I have even met some of these people.
It’s a very sad story that they narrate.
Don’t become like those who regret what they have done in life.
Run steady and carefully.
Conclusion
Here we are at the end now.
Did you learn something good about the race of life?
Did you get any value from this article?
Put these principles to work in your life and finish your race successfully.
Happy running folks. Wishing you success in the race of life.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2020 Nitin Khaire
