Nothing is Impossible

Nothing is Impossible!

What motivates a person to carve out an average of two to three hours a day on weekdays and roughly four hours on weekends to either swim, bike, run or even all three disciplines almost every single day and still keep a full time job? To train as a serious triathlete while continuing to pursue a career, manage some businesses and still have time and energy for other aspects of one's life such as family, friends and other passions. Some say it's too much or unsustainable. Many say it's impossible.

It can be done!

It's all about cutting up your time into enjoyable and highly "impactful" bite sizes to allow you "have it all".

I know that family and work/my job as the top executive in a large food company are always my top priorities. So, I always make sure that I am constantly aware of what's important and what actions I need to take and focus on to drive success of the business and maintain family relationships. The beauty of this situation is that there usually aren't more than 10 items that really influence business results. So, it's really a pretty short list. More than 10 is usually an indication that one doesn't know how to prioritize and discern what's important.

With work and family in order, I then cut up the day to provide enough quality time for serious, high impact workouts I need to stay competitive in the local triathlon scene. This means though that I have to wake up early most days to allow the luxury of doing 15k to20k run workouts, long bike rides or hard core swim sessions. I am up by 4:30 to 4:45 most days to squeeze in 1.5 to 2 hours or training each day before going to work.

It's a blessing to be productive and be working. As such, I usually take on some load as a a professor at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Center for Continued Education. However, this is clearly secondary or tertiary priority but still manageable. This isn't a daily thing. Usually just a few hours twice a week.

But the fulfilment of being able to progress one's career while still staying healthy and competitive in an intense multisport such as triathlon is empowering. Even energizing.

Pursue your passion. Sacrifice and getting out of your comfort zone is almost always a pre-requisite to having the time to do it all. But it is well worth it.

In about 6 weeks, I will be competing in the Century Tuna 5i50 Triathlon. In 12 weeks, I will be reporting to the starting line of a 70.3 (Half) Ironman in Cebu. This has required me to step up my mileage. But, this will not and never diminish my capabilities and energy at work. It's just a matter of pacing myself through all the buzz and activities in life.