I had a conversation with my sister last week and she recounted a story that left an indelible impression. Okay, so indelible might be a strong word because I'm about to retell it now and will likely botch the details of the story, but I promise to leave the nucleus in tact. We spoke about hard work and setting goals, regardless of how lofty they appear. Then she told me the following…

Teams from around the world gathered to compete in a survival competition in the toughest of situations. They had to travel over 300 miles in the snow and blistering cold to the finish line, so most determined a pace of 20 miles per day would be the best route. One team darted from the starting line and completed 35 miles the first day, but only finished 10 miles the following day due to exhaustion. Each day, they fell further behind, losing sight of their goal. And, no, the goal wasn't the finish line…necessarily. Sure it was the end goal, but the daily feat was simply to work through 20 miles. That's it. The team that stuck to and accomplished this goal–despite how small it seemed–won the race.

That's when it hit me: those who quietly sit behind a computer and study, photograph for the love of learning, and freely give to others in the name of moving the industry forward are putting in their 20 miles. Every day.

And we don't have to finish first to know we ran a good race.