Over the past 4 years, I've gone from a pack-a-day sedentary smoker to a crossfitter, marathoner, and half-ironmaner.

Doing hard, physical things is one of the best teachers. Here's what physical endurance events teach us about life and business.

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There are directions for most things you want to do in life.

I am not the first person to go from super unhealthy to marathoner.

By finding a tribe that has walked the path you want to walk, and following their directions, you can learn to do almost anything.

Get comfortable doing things you're bad at.

Keep doing them until you're less bad.

Eventually, you'll get good.

Run as far as you can every day, and after enough days, you'll be able to run really far.

It is highly unlikely that you will ever be the best at anything. With enough persistence, you can be in the top 1%.

1% of the world has run a marathon. While running, I get passed by guys with no legs and 70-year-old women.

But we're all passing those on the sidelines.

People on the sidelines all have an opinion. They don't matter.

When you're running a race, there's not a lot of talking. When you're building something great, there's little time to waste criticizing other creators.

The further you get from the start, the closer you get to the finish.

During a marathon, you count the first few miles and the last few. The bliss is in the middle.

When starting or finishing anything hard, we become obsessed with the distance. Find the middle.

Life is long and hard and much of the time we're enduring. If you settle into that, you can enjoy the run.

People die. Your toes feel like they're going to fall off. But the leaves are changing on the trees. The sun is out. You're doing a thing worth doing that few get to do.

Smiling for the crowds makes everything better.

We take ourselves so seriously. Runners have fancy shoes. Business people have nice suits. You'll have a lot more fun if you turn up the music, dance, and realize we're all just smart monkeys trying to make sense of it all.

Finishing is more important than finishing fast.

People always ask, "how long did it take you? How much money did you make?"

I tell them: "I ran, and it was awesome. I built a thing and I was proud of it."

When you're done, you'll realize that accomplishments are all a high. They last for a moment.

If you're running or building for the medals, be prepared to be disappointed.

Run for those who can't run. Build for yourself. Create out of love. That's how we find real, lasting joy.

If you enjoyed this, give me a follow @taywall for more content on endurance, life, and small business.