You may have heard it said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” but perhaps it’s time to rethink that definition.

Sometimes the only way to see results IS to do the same thing over and over and over again.  In fact in many cases, the definition of insanity is expecting results without doing the same things over and over again.  This applies to my life right now more than ever as I train for my first half marathon and work to take our virtual tour company to the next level.

One of the biggest mistakes that new runners make is trying to do too much too fast without building a base level of fitness.  The number one piece of advice that coaches and veteran marathon runners tell new people is to run slow, start easy and consistently add a little bit more distance every week.  You’ll get faster over time just by conditioning your body to get used to running but speed work is not only unnecessary for a beginner doing a long race but also ill advised.

Trying to worry about speed as a new endurance runner is a sure fire way to end up injured and miserable.  Most marathon training plans are designed for veteran runners and beginners trying to apply those same principles to their own training are likely to crash and burn.  Veteran runners train to beat their own personal records but even the most seasoned runners will say that the basis of their advanced training plans is still consistent effort over an extended period – in other words, doing the same thing over and over again means that you eventually get to see the results of all that effort.

The same thing applies to running our vacation rental photography business.  There are certain basics that have got to happen consistently in the beginning in order to build that foundation of the virtual tour business and then those exact same things are necessary if the tour business is to continue to grow.  We have recently hit new levels of success in our virtual tour business and are wrapping up a summer that was more profitable and enjoyable than we could have dreamed possible.  We are at a new level in our business — one where we have a great base of business and much of our work is from repeat customers and referrals.

At this point, it would be easy to slack off on those basics like cold calling, email marketing, blogging, and all the other core components that grew our business to where it is today.  But like those athletes that constantly seek to improve their personal record on a race, reaching this milestone only means that it’s time to raise the bar a little higher and try for a new personal record

After all, running a virtual tour business is a lot like a running a marathon except that there is no finish.