MPW内幕网络是美国的一个在线社区，美国商界内外的一些大咖经常会在这里及时回答与职业和领导力有关的问题。今天为大家分享的是苏黎世保险公司全球特种行业部门负责人劳瑞·巴雷在“你是如何保持进取心的？”这一问题下的答案。

大约几年前，我决定去跑一次马拉松。我平时一向喜欢跑步，但跑的距离都很短，只是休闲性质的，既是为了锻炼身体，也是为了在一天开始和结束的时候集中一下思绪。我日复一日地在同一个跑道上，跑着同样的距离。这样按部就班地跑了很多年之后，我突然厌倦了这样的运动方式，需要其他什么东西来保持我跑步的热情。这时我心血来潮地想到了马拉松。

在当今世界，人很容易就会失去干某件事的热情。因为等着我们去做的事情太多了，而用来管理这些事的资源又太少了，何况我们永远没有足够的时间去做完每一件事。我们的待办清单变得越来越长，压力水平越来越高，所谓的“时间管理”也几乎成了不可能的事情。因此，我们经常会陷入一个怪圈，日复一日地做着同样的事情，从来不为生活增添些新的色彩，也不愿去改变我们日常所做的事。在这些时候，人很容易就会失去激情，产生放弃的心态——哪怕是对于一些你曾经很喜欢的事情。

而这时，我们需要的就是一次挑战。每个人的生活都需要目标，不论是在工作还是个人生活上。朝着某一个目标而努力，并且追求最终的成功，这是人类的本能。不管这个目标是升职加薪，是达到工作与生活的平衡，是更健康的生活方式，还是别的什么。目标为我们提供了一些值得努力的东西，是我们奋斗道路上的里程碑。但是，虽然目标通常会促使我们集中精力去做一件事，然而真正激励我们的东西，其实是挑战。挑战往往不是容易应对的事，它会检验我们的技能，考验我们的毅力，挑衅我们的力量。挑战可能会以各种形象和方式出现，它可能是肉体上的，智力上的，也可能是行为上的；可能是短期的，也可能是长期的；有可能是生活上的，也可能是职业上的。它将我们驱离了我们的舒适区，逼迫我们用一种全新的方式却学习某一件事。它不再是待办清单上的某一个未完成的事项，而成了待办清单本身。时间管理也变成了积极地利用所有时间。最重要的是，所有挑战有一个共同点——它们令我们变得比从前更强大。简而言之，是挑战激励了我们。

在经过四个月的训练后，我在2009年跑完了我的第一个马拉松。这是我有生以来经历的最艰难的挑战之一。有时我甚至质疑自己，为什么要给自己找这样的罪受。但在那四个月的时间里，我对我自身又有了全新的认识。在那段时间里，我每天都以前所未有的激情穿上跑鞋。那次马拉松结束后，我又开始迎接新的挑战了——虽然每个挑战都是全新的，并且各不相同，但它们对我的激励却并无不同。（财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

The MPW Insiders Network is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for “How do you stay motivated?” is written by Lori Bailey, global head of special lines at Zurich Insurance.

Several years ago, I decided to run a marathon. I had always been an avid runner, but my running generally consisted of short, recreational runs to get some exercise and gather my thoughts at the beginning or end of a day. Day after day I would run the same loop, at the same pace. But after years of doing the same running routine, I began to get bored and needed something else to keep me engaged. That’s when the marathon idea came to me.

In today’s world, it’s very easy to be demotivated. It seems there are always too many things to be done, too few resources to manage them, and never enough time to accomplish it all. To-do lists grow longer instead of shorter, stress levels increase, and time management quickly becomes an overwhelming, if not sometimes impossible, task. As a result, we often fall into the trap of doing the same things day in and day out – never adding any variety or change to what we do. In times like these, it’s very easy to get discouraged and simply give up – even on those things which you used to once enjoy.

And that’s where the challenge comes in. We all need goals in life – both in business and in our personal lives. It is simple human nature that we all want to work towards something – a promotion, a better work/life balance, or even a healthy lifestyle – and ultimately to be successful. Goals provide us with important milestones and something to work for. But while goals often serve to keep us focused on a particular area, what truly motivates us is a challenge. Challenges aren’t meant to be easy; they test our skills, tap into our character and defy our strengths. They can take on all shapes and sizes and can be physical, intellectual or behavioral. They can be short or long-term, personal or career-oriented; they take us outside of our comfort zone and force us to learn something in a new and different way. Most importantly, however, challenges keep us engaged. It no longer becomes an item on the to-do list, but rather the to-do list itself. Time management turns into time embracement. But above all else, challenges all have one thing in common – they generally make us stronger than we were before we started. Simply stated, challenges motivate us.

After four long months of training, I completed my first marathon in 2009. It was one of the hardest challenges that I’ve ever taken on, and there were days when I questioned why I was putting myself through it. But I learned a lot about myself in those four months, and I was never more motivated to put on a pair of running shoes as I was during that time. I’ve since moved on to other challenges – each one new and different, but equally motivating.