Overcoming Obstacles: Joe De Sena | OYNB 027

When you first begin to contemplate the idea of giving up alcohol, 90 days can seem like a huge hurdle, and 365 days can seem like an insurmountable obstacle. But obstacles are meant to be overcome, and this one is within your grasp. You may have to start small, then build on your success. Remove alcohol. Add a healthy habit. Then another one.

Before you know it, you’ll have achieved your first goal. You’ll feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, and you’ll be ready to work your way up to a larger goal. 28 days lead to 90 days, and 90 days lead to 365, and so on. When you have a goal and put the continuous effort into working toward it, you’ll find ways to get around your obstacles and reach your destination.

“We all need those stakes in the sand that say “here’s your date, get it done.”

Today’s guest is an authority on setting goals and overcoming obstacles. Joe De Sena is the CEO and founder of the Spartan Race. He’s also an author and the host of the Spartan Up! Podcast. Joe talks to us about his own background of overcoming obstacles.

Joe credits his childhood in Queens with giving him the foundation for the work ethic that would be responsible for his success in life. As a young adult, Joe applied to Cornell four times before finally being accepted into the textile department. By the time he graduated, Joe was already running a successful business back in Queens. When a friend suggested that he should try his luck working on Wall Street Joe didn’t take it seriously. However, after achieving some success in the stock market himself, he decided to give it a go. He eventually ended up running a successful firm on Wall Street, and used physical challenges as a way of unwinding. This is what eventually led him to start founding races.

Joe says that his first race was a disaster. It lost money, and a crew member was temporarily lost as well. Over the course of about 10 years, Joe continued to run races and they continued to lose money until he changed the format of the race. The new format, called Spartan, would consist of 3 mile, 8 mile, and 13-mile races. This format proved to be a winner.

According to Joe, one of the similarities between Spartan races and One Year No Beer is the motivation that you get from having a specific goal and specific dates on the calendar in mind. Both are meant to help hold you accountable for meeting your goals. Like One Year No Beer, Spartan races are also inclusive: People of all shapes, sizes, and abilities can participate.

“We’re an accountability machine.”

Joe has a special offer for the One Year No Beer podcast listeners. For the next two weeks, if you sign up for a 90-day challenge or upgrade to a 365-day challenge and complete your 90 days, you’ll get a free entry to a Spartan race in the UK. Email us for more information.

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Joe’s Resources:

Spartan Races: https://www.spartan.com/en

Spartan Up! Podcast: https://www.spartan.com/en/media/podcast/episodes

Joe’s Website: http://www.realjoedesena.com/

Joe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/realjoedesena?lang=en

Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephdesena/