Running can change your life.
We live in a world where everything is so accessible. At the touch of our fingers we can have a taxi arrive to our exact location, book a holiday, or have food delivered to your door freshly cooked for us. It's great but it's just all too easy.
Running is different. To be a runner, we can only achieve a goal if we really want it, if we are willing to build up slowly, and are willing to put in the hard graft and hours to reach our target. It’s a completely different mindset to what we are surrounded with in everyday life. I think people sometimes take for granted how easy everything is and running allows us to be more grounded individuals and appreciate life a bit more.
I was on the London Underground recently and saw someone running for a train. They missed getting on the train by a matter of seconds and was visibly frustrated by this. But the next train was due in 4 minutes. It's this ‘everything now’ mindset that I think running can help people do a check and balance on.
It's not that runners are any different from non-runners, its just that we have gone back to basics. Running helps you realise that to succeed, you can’t take things for granted, you need to work hard and set milestones. You won’t be able to run a 5/10/42km run off the cuff without putting in the training and prep work.
Running also teaches you to step out of your comfort zone. They do say that you never see a happy jogger. And while I disagree with that statement, it is probably true in some way because runners are pushing themselves that little bit faster or further to test themselves mentally and physically. How many of us in work and careers sit back where we feel most comfortable? How many of us truly push ourselves to do something outside of our comfort zone on a frequent basis? Genuinely, running was a big factor for me in stepping into a new career in Sales a while back. I wanted to test myself in unfamiliar surroundings which is something I was doing every weekend while running. Running has instilled a belief in me that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to, whether it be a new role at work or run a 100km! Without this confidence, I’m not sure I would have applied for a Sales role.
So running really can change your life. Apply the same approach to all other aspects of your life and I guarantee* you will feel happier, achieve things you didn't think you could and be more successful in everything you do.
Matt
*not a real guarantee obviously :o)
