Isolate the Pain
January 2019I started running frequently a few years ago. I ran my first 5k in 2016, and ran my first half-marathon in 2018.
One of the hardest things I have to do when running is manage my own psychology. Most days, my brain starts telling me it’s OK to quit before I reach my goal.
“It’s fine. You did well yesterday, take it easy today and make it up tomorrow.”
And in a swirl of exhaustion and pain, it’s easy to listen.
I realized there’s usually only one thing that’s physically bogging me down. If I can isolate and eliminate it, the swirl of exhaustion and pain gets a little better.
Is my throat burning? Maybe I just need to take a swig of water.
Is my back hurting? Maybe I just need to adjust my posture.
Have I lost focus? Maybe I just need to play that song that always adds more bounce to my stride.
I see parallels to my time as an entrepreneur. I often found myself in a swirl of exhaustion and stress, nothing going right, wanting to give up. But I had to pause and isolate the pain.
Maybe I just needed to cut enough expenses to give us more runway.
Maybe I just needed to fire an executive that was pulling the team in the wrong direction.
Maybe I just needed to unplug and take a vacation.
Most times, there was one major thing that was bogging me down. And when I isolated and eliminated it, I found a path to keep moving forward.