Back in October of 2019, the athletic company Asics created a race with no finish line. The goal was to see how far an athlete can push themselves with no mile markers, no landmarks, and no end in sight. The result was that 71% of runners ran further than predicted. How is this possible?
It’s all about mindset
Asics’s goal was to highlight their new shoe technology but in order to do so, they needed to eliminate all distractions, remove all competitive advantages, and let each person just run their own race. It wasn’t how fast or how far you ran, but how long you could last at your own set pace. If you take this example and apply it to your business, then the question is: Do you have a strong enough mindset to keep going?
Ironically, we are all currently in a similar race. This year will end in December, but there’s no finish line. However, the main difference is that our race has a distraction at every step. We are in a political minefield. We question the effects of online school. We have no proven solutions for racial injustice. We can’t even agree on mask etiquette. Pile all of this up together and they create hurdles and a difficult road to keep a steady pace.
So, now what?
Ultimately, Asics was trying to sell a shoe. Asics competes everyday in a world full of distractions. It’s like mental day-trading to see who can gain the most attention in the social media stock market. Asics was successful in gaining mind share with this ad because they focused on solving a basic problem. Your clients have their own race and set of distractions, so if you can solve a problem to help them create a healthy mindset, then they will continue the race.
Lastly, if you are having trouble identifying problems, eliminating distractions, or creating a healthy mindset, I am always open to help with the discovery process. Sometimes, it’s hard to see the warning label from inside the bottle.
