Enlightened Leadership Blog | Similarities Between Running a Business and Working Out | January 2023

What similarities do running a business and exercising share? A few.

Let’s bend our minds to explore the top five related action items:

  1. Set the Intention 

First, be honest with yourself by asking, Is my intention to stay in my comfort zone? Or is my aim to test new limits?

Staying in familiar territory with our business doesn’t propel our work to the next level. Likewise, doing the same type of movement day after day isn’t going to maximize our body’s health potential.

How do we reach higher for our bodies and businesses? We decide to establish a fresh target. 

  1. Attempt Different

Setting a novel objective is great. However, we must do the work. The reality is, unless we try, nothing changes.

The idea for this blog came to me during a different workout class – different instructor, different workout type. The night before, I had set my goal to shake things up.

The resulting endorphins helped me realize that doing something out of my ordinary led me to connect dots I never contemplated. Ok, so I wasn’t exactly present when writing this blog in my mind during the class. But, the creative juices, the new idea, arrived while I was testing something unfamiliar. 

  1. Control Your Mind 

Mind control is required during exercise and business activities. Simply put, if our mind is all over the place, so are we, and our business.

We can talk all day about focus. However, we must control our mind to reveal our true focus.

During the final months of last year, I found myself checking and responding to messages more and more. I’m aware of such sand traps. However, I started the pattern of – Just one more thing. This is easy to get done quickly. Until, I reminded myself I am in full control of my mind and what actions result from my thoughts.

Control your mind. Control your time. Control your business.

  1. Focus on the Present 

Intellectually, we know what it means to focus on the present. Following through daily is another story. This requires effort every single day. 

Have you sat in a meeting with someone who checks their phone repeatedly? Talked on the phone with someone preoccupied with something else (even worse when it’s on video)? Spent time with someone who seemed like they weren’t engaged? Don’t be that person.

Time is of the essence. So, be the engaged and attentive participant. Be the one who focuses on the business activity with the same gusto as the workout.

  1. Give Feedback 

In the business world, we are encouraged to exchange feedback from customers and employees. So, what does this have in common with exercise? Our ability to offer ourselves the same kind of quality feedback we give to someone else.

As a result of my recent findings, I started checking in with myself more. Did I push myself? How was I feeling? Was I in the game? Did I check my phone? The beauty of this review is 100 percent for you.

Bend Your Way

Bend your mind and your body differently this week. You will be pleasantly surprised about how much you can, and how good you feel afterwards.

by Jennifer L. Musser 
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