THE IMPORTANCE OF CHALLENGING YOURSELF
Soy un amante de los retos. Siempre he creído en visualizar una meta y en tener claro que el esfuerzo, constancia y disciplina no son negociables. Retarse es para mí una forma de vivir la vida, ya sean retos empresariales, deportivos o personales.
Each year, I set new goals for myself.
To succeed in both sports and business, I've learned the power of visualization. Though experience helps in all endeavors, visualizing your desired outcome in a particular situation multiple times can increase your preparation and calmness when it comes time to face it. It's mental training.
Challenging yourself through visualization increases your chances of achieving your goals.
Participating in sports can help develop consistency and discipline, as progress is made through a step-by-step process toward achieving a goal. This process shares many parallels with entrepreneurship. Both require challenging oneself, setting a goal, planning, seeking resources, and navigating unexpected obstacles along the way. Whether in sports or business, setbacks are a common occurrence that can help build resilience and the ability to recover. Sports have taught me the value of patience and setting long-term expectations. Consistency, discipline, planning, and resourcefulness increase the chances of success. However, there is no guaranteed formula for achieving goals, and setbacks and obstacles are inevitable. The same applies to sports, where injuries and challenging conditions can occur.
OPEN WATER SWIMMER
In 2019, I swam across the Strait of Gibraltar, covering 15.7 km in open water in just over five hours. It was a unique sports experience that pushed me to my mental and physical limits. This experience was pivotal in my learning of what it means to challenge oneself and pursue a goal.
In this challenge, my main objective was to learn how to overcome my fears and to do so, I had to face them head-on. Another great lesson I learned was that perseverance is the key differentiating factor in achieving any goal, whether it's professional, personal, sports-related, or otherwise.
IRON MAN
I have always loved running. After having run several marathons, including four times in New York, the next step was to prepare for an Ironman. Seeking that next step is an essential way to keep challenging yourself.
In 2017, I did the half Ironman in Lanzarote, one of the toughest in the European circuit. And in 2018, I did the half Ironman in Barcelona.
In August 2021, the big moment for which I had prepared so much arrived and I managed to complete the Ironman in Hamburg.
SNOW RUNNING
After many years of daily running, and traveling everywhere with my sneakers, from random gyms, to the shores of Lake Michigan, to the streets of New York, completing marathons in far-flung places and running my hometown of Granada, I decided to try something new. I wanted a unique running experience that I had never had before, so in 2015, I decided to give snow running a try with a nighttime race in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
This experience was far different from other races. While at 12 km, it was a shorter race than others that I have done, there were many new challenges. I ran at night, in the snow, in the cold, and at altitude. This required training for months in the Sierra Nevada, as well special preparation in the gym. The depth and irregular surface of the snow, as well as the weather conditions presented obstacles. In the end, I overcame my sensitivity to the cold, I didn’t get lost on the mountain and my sense of accomplishment at having achieved a new goal was satisfying.
In 2022, I faced a significant knee injury that has made it impossible for me to run. Nevertheless, I have found a way to stay active by focusing on enhancing my swimming technique and continually improving my abilities in the water.
PERSONAL GOALS
Education – IE – There are many ways to challenge oneself, such as through sports, entrepreneurship, or academics. In pursuit of continuous learning and keeping my brain active, I decided to pursue an MBA at IE recently.
Patrón de Embarcación de recreo – Uno de mis retos en 2022 fue conseguir el Patrón de Embarcación de recreo. Me encanta el mar y navegar y era un gran reto que requiere mucha formación técnica y atención al detalle y me sacó de mi zona de confort y rutina.
Inglés – El objetivo de perfeccionar mi nivel de inglés es sin duda el objetivo más constante y permanente en mi vida. Actualmente dedico 2 horas diarias de mi vida a mejorar mi nivel de inglés escrito y verbal. Es una herramienta no negociable en el mundo actual y aunque requiere mucho de mi tiempo no podría operar sin él. Hay cosas que son imprescindibles y se deben incorporar en la rutina diaria. El inglés, en mi caso, es esa constante en mi rutina junto con el objetivo de retarse a nunca dejar de mejorar.
PERSONAL GOALS FOR 2023
I would like to share some of my personal and sports goals for 2023:
- Wingfoil – I fell in love with this sport from the first day I tried it.
- PADE – The IESE Advanced Management Program is my current educational challenge. Over a period of 6 months, I will share my experiences and learnings with top-level CEOs from diverse companies.
- My main goals are to expand my strategic vision, exchange insights with CEOs from leading companies, improve my ability to identify threats and opportunities within organizations, and strengthen my strategic thinking skills
Running has taught me an essential lesson - the importance of managing both success and failure. At the start of the New York Marathon, listening to the famous Sinatra song, you may feel invincible, and the feeling may last for the first few kilometers. However, there may also be a phase where everything seems to go against you.The key is to manage both situations with excellent physical and mental preparation, which is akin to the business world. Education and preparation are crucial, not only academically but also in life experiences, which helps you be generous and supportive of those around you. Participating in a marathon is a great example of human camaraderie, where strangers come together to share a life-changing challenge. I firmly believe in facing challenges collectively and that strength is gained from such experiences. Hence, I devote a part of my professional development to mentoring and sharing my experiences to help others.