Many of the world’s most successful people enjoy running. But it is often not only about the enjoyment factor.
Running can teach us many things and improve many aspects of our business and personal lives. So, if you want to become successful, you should consider putting on your running shoes.
1. Running Helps You Become a Better Entrepreneur
In an article by successful entrepreneur Svetlana Dotsenko, he talks about how he thought his marathon training would be similar to starting his own business in that it is all about persisting when the going gets tough. But as he progressed in his marathon training, he realized it was more complex than that.
He began to understand that getting to the finishing line takes practice and planning as well as having a sophisticated support system in place. Dotsenko also says that you need “a willingness to keep running – even after crossing the finish line.”
Another successful entrepreneur, CEO, and co-founder of Codeship, Moritz Plassnig, says he does his best thinking when he runs. He also understands how closely running aligns with a business mentality.
Plassnig says long-distance running teaches you to keep a little energy in reserve for when you need to give a push and work through the pain.
Entrepreneurs seem to learn a lot of analogical wisdom by long-distance running. So, put on your 5K running shoes and discover how running can improve your entrepreneurial approaches.
2. Running Teaches You to Never Give Up and Become More Disciplined
While running can teach you lessons in not giving up, it can also build consistency and discipline in your life.
The more disciplined you become in running, the more you will improve your performance. The same can then be applied to your business. With additional discipline in your business practices, you can create better efficiency and productivity.
Also, running helps you to build your confidence by achieving something that once may have seemed impossible.
3. Running Can Lead to Self-improvement
The thing about running is: it is not a team sport. That means it is up to you to give yourself the motivation and build the confidence you need to reach a designated time.
Without an opponent, you only have to win against yourself. Competing against yourself to better your time takes a lot of time, perseverance, and commitment.
By embracing such things in running, you can also apply them to other areas of your work and personal life and set yourself on the path to self-improvement.
4. Running Is Good for Your Mental Health
We have seen how running can benefit you mentally and how you can apply those lessons to other areas of your life. But running can also directly improve your mental health in various ways.
Successful people understand the effects that running has on their mental well-being. And the more mentally sound they are, the better they will be able to handle the business and personal elements of their lives. You can too.
Here are some of the key ways in which running can improve your mental health:
- Stress Management. When you run, you increase the concentrations of the chemical norepinephrine, which helps to moderate the brain’s response to stress.
- Prevention of Cognitive Decline. Running is thought to boost the brain’s power to minimize cognitive decline that generally happens after you reach 45 years of age. When you run, especially between the ages of 25 and 45, the chemicals in your brain that support and prevent degeneration of your hippocampus are boosted, meaning you can improve your learning and memory.
- Greater Creativity. Science shows that a heart-pumping run can increase your creativity for up to two hours afterward. That is why many entrepreneurs say they do their best thinking during and after a run.
