If you have been in business any length of time, chances areyou've “bonked”—a phenomenon that happens to marathoners aroundmile 20 that's otherwise known as “hitting the wall.”

Succeeding in business is much like a marathon: The start isexciting, with the thrill of anticipation swelling as you toe thestarting line. You know where you want to go, and you're committedto getting there. The end is equally exciting. Actually seeing thefinishing line in the distance brings on a surge of adrenalin. It'smuch easier to finish the race when you've got the end insight. But between the excitement of the start and the rushof the finish is the toughest part of all: the middle miles.

“Those requisite, unavoidable middle miles can be a desolatewasteland or they can be the most productive miles of the race—it'show you deal with them that determines if and when you cross thefinish line, and in what kind of shape…winning in business is nodifferent,” notes business and executive success authority DanSteenerson, a field expert whose “Science of Visioneering”methodologies help entrepreneurs, executives, and otherprofessionals become field leaders.

It's no wonder that during a business middle mile there's a hugetemptation to quit. “This is the often precarious, volatile andrisk-intensive stretch of one's company or career that lies betweenthe excitement of starting a new journey and reaching the end gameobjective, whether that be selling a business, taking a companypublic, becoming an executive or entrepreneur, securing a newposition, pursuing a new career path, or retiring wealthy,”Steenerson says.

Increasing Endurance

Here are 5 tips about how to persevere through the businessmiddle mile:

1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize. The middle mileis the stuff in between, and where the real work gets done. It'sthe time in your business or career journey where you burn the mostenergy, deal with fatigue and hopelessness, work through budgetaryand employee concerns, embrace setbacks and do your best toovercome burn-out. It's in this period when there's a hugetemptation to quit. Lack of discipline, poor implementation, andfailure to simplify are the three primary reasons, but beneath allof those symptoms is the underlying failure: Losing sight of thefinish line. You have to keep your eye on where you ultimately wantto go.

You didn't get to the middle mile without effort. You've put insome hard work, but suddenly, the work you've done is not advancingyou nearly as fast as you want it to. This critical time is whenthe best “athletes” trudge forward with new training methods,harder work ethics and a stretch of their imagination andwillpower. Committed professionals don't quit during the middlemiles. They also don't settle for good enough. They realize good isthe enemy of great. The bad stuff often doesn't keep you fromsucceeding; the good stuff does, because it allows you to settle.You've achieved some success by making it to the middle mile, sonow it's time to move out and move on.

2. Do What Others Won't Do. During the middlemiles it's particularly important to have the discipline to dosomething productive every day in working toward your goal,sacrificing things you'd like to do for those tasks you need to do.Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built,especially during the middle mile, and is the bridge betweenwishing and accomplishing.

The formula is pretty simple. Have a no-nonsense attitude, workhard and improve every day. Arrive early and stay late if that'swhat it takes. Many professionals get stuck in the middle for thesimple reason they don't work hard enough to get out of it. Don'tbe one of them. No one needs to convince a distance runner get upearly, lace up running shoes, and get those training runs in. Ifyou want to be successful, you must have the discipline to do whatothers don't want to do. Have a plan and work it every day,whatever it takes. Get up earlier. Work harder. Persevere.

3. Implement for Impact. Good intentions aren'tenough. How many times have great ideas gone nowhere? How manydeadlines have been missed, promises not kept, to-dos neverfollowed through on? It happens a lot. In fact, most entrepreneursaim to do right; they just fail to pull the trigger and finish thejob.

Barriers to implementation might include practicality, manpower,and financial or technical limitations. The act of “deciding” toimplement may be a barrier in and of itself. Do you have the gutsto make a decision that may affect your company financially orlegally? Whatever the case may be, the key to implementation is toidentify these barriers at the outset, and design a strategy thatlimits their impact on your achieving success. If it's YOU that isimpeding progress, do something about it. Analyze your paralysisand eliminate any invisible barriers that you place on yourself. Ifa barrier is external, call on those you trust who can advise youon how to clear the obstacle.

Finally, nurture those relationships that are going to help youimplement your project. Many times, plans are not implementedsimply because your stakeholders aren't buying into the vision. Andif you can't help people see your vision, then the idea is useless.Nurture and shepherd the people around you who will help make youridea a reality, and help them envision the finish line as you seeit. You can't do it alone.

4. Simplistic Synergy. It's important to keepyour business simple and streamlined. Why take two dozen steps toaccomplish something if you can get it done just as effectively inonly three or four? Like marathoners, achievement-mindedprofessionals need to figure out how to achieve maximum resultswith the least amount of effort. Working hard is important butdeploying and leveraging resources in the most effective waypossible is even more important. Simplifying processes wheneverpossible makes it much easier to accomplish more in less time.

Simplicity will get you through the middle miles faster. Duringthe middle miles, professionals can get bogged down by details thatdon't bring about improvement or advancement. It's important to getrid of time-wasters so you carry less weight, make fewer mistakes,move faster, and trudge up that proverbial hill. You'll have moretime to scale and expand your business or career without the extraheadaches of complex tasks. Remember, marathoners are lean for areason.

5. Envision the End Game. At the beginning ofthe race, it's easy to remember why you're there—to get to thefinish line. When you're starting a new business, enterprise orposition, your goals are fresh in your mind. However, as the weeksand months wear on, it's easy to get lost and forget what inspiredyou in the first place. The key to getting through the middle milesis to look at your goals each day and remind yourself why youstarted your journey.

Distance runners know the best way to make it to the top of along, steep hill is not with huge, bounding strides but withsmaller, forward steps. Those bounding strides will burn up theenergy you need to keep going and will likely cause you to take amisstep that will send you tumbling back to the bottom of the hill.The smaller steps are a much more efficient use of your energy andwill help ensure you make it to the top and beyond. Smaller stepshelp you take the time to focus on what you need to accomplish hereand now to achieve your long term goals. Be meticulous in executingactivities that result in success. Have faith the steps you'retaking now and the time you're investing will ultimately payoff.

“Remember, marathoners don't sprint—they know how to pacethemselves,” continues Steenerson. “There are times when you'llneed to make an extra push and times to keep steady. Measure yourprogress towards your goals every day and adjust your pace asneeded. It's those who can keep focused on the finish line thatmake it through the middle miles.”

Daniel C. Steenerson imparts his success wisdom, principlesand philosophies through his proprietary “Science of Visioneering”approach to help companies, entrepreneurs, executives and otherprofessionals realize business greatness. He may be reachedonline at www.DanSteenerson.com–anonline community where business owners, executives and other careerachievement-minded professionals go for no-nonsense,“tell-it-like-it-is” successadvice.