My very first experiences running started in the fourth grade. Back then, I joined the school’s cross country team. Then, when I was a teenager I joined the track and field team. That’s when I did long-distance races at the provincial level. However, in my adolescence, I nearly gave up on the physical activity I loved the most. Because everyone else seemed better than me at running.

When I was in university, I realized that running was something that I needed to do to not only stay in shape but sharpen my mindset. So, in my spare time, I started to run whenever I could.

But what do my experiences running have to do with the work I do?

A key influence on my work are my experiences running. For example, my experiences running influenced everything from:

• My average workweek
• To the collaborative nature of how I approach my work.

If that’s something that you’re curious about, I encourage you to keep reading.

1) All projects are a learning experience, thanks to my experiences running

In June 2019, I celebrated my business’s 5th birthday, and the highlights include:

• Helping a variety of start-ups launch and grow through enhancing their brand messaging
• And content writing for large organizations such as Saatva, Yellowpages, GAO RFID Inc, Yellowpages, and E-bay.

I’ve also had bad experiences with high-maintenance clients. Because they don’t accommodate the limitations of my one-person business.

However, everything is a learning experience. And what helps me maintain that mindset is my experiences as a runner.

For those of you who aren’t runners…

Here’s a quote from a Runner’s World article that perfectly sums up people’s experiences running:

Running is a kind of truth serum. It brutally strips away everything you put on and leaves you with only yourself. The runner on the road knows something that the passenger in the car doesn’t. Down to the core, the runner knows who he is. The runner has to. He’s so tired, who he is is all that’s left.

When I’m running, that’s how I feel when it’s almost over, and it’s time to go home. In fact, my only focus is the following:

• The rhythm of my breathing
• My thoughts
• The sensations in my muscles
• And the sounds/ smells of the environment.

I often choose the same route, wear similar outfits, and listen to the same music. Yet every run has subtle differences.

And writing for clients is a similar experience…

Because I learn something new everytime I work on something new.

• Sometimes it’s something technology-related, such as a type of software or app I’ve never used
• And sometimes it’s something to do with my client interactions such as how ideas are communicated and how disabilities and various personality types are properly accommodated.

That’s exactly why quality is meaningless if I can’t adapt to other peoples’ feedback, schedules, and expectations.

2) Something I learned from my experiences running: listening to your body and the signals its sending you is important.

This summer, I read the Being Boss book. The best part of the book is the boundaries chapter. Because it encourages entrepreneurs to utilize their energy more productively and healthily. Here’s a quote from the book that sums up their philosophy on boundaries perfectly:

As boundaries begin eliminating energy drains and creating more space for activities that energize you, they will also define how you make decisions and take action, enabiling you to use your time, money, and energy efficiently so that you only take on the opportunities, tasks, and relationships that align with what’s important for you.

 When I read this book, I considered this. But when I attended a recent guided meditation class, I had an epiphany:

Tuning into how your body reacts in a specific moment to a sound, a sensation, or an experience is an underrated skill. Because it transforms you from:

• A bundle of anxiety and nerves
• To a sense of clarity, creativity, and understanding.

My meditation class collectively mediated in a shop located on one of my city’s busiest streets. So our instructor encouraged us to use the loud noises of the cars, buses, and streetcars echoing from outside to our advantage. I took her advice and focused on the noise of the streetcar since it was the most familiar background noise. Then, my brain wandered to images of my partner and my family’s smiling faces.

This led to me thinking about that quote from the Being Boss book, and at the end of the session, I promised myself the following:

I wanted to use my time and energy in a more productive, healthier, and kinder way.

Thanks to my experiences running, this promise seemed easier to maintain

Because runners are taught to put the setbacks and weaknesses of their body before their pride. For example: when pain or lightheadedness happens you slow down and address what’s happening to your body at that moment.

Learning to work around my limitations has helped me overcome my insecurities about running with teams of people. It has also helped me apply that philosophy to the work I do for my clients. Every project is now about negotiating deadlines that I can meet, not taking on more work than I can handle, and taking breaks whenever I need to. It’s also about listening to my gut when I sense that something’s seems fishy about a specific client or organization.

Not to mention: I will not answer emails or phone calls before 10 AM and after 5 PM on weekdays, unless it’s an emergency (or it’s the only way to work around a time zone difference).

Unfortunately, I’ve put myself into too many situations where my needs didn’t come first. And I’ve sacrificed my sleep and sanity because of it. That’s exactly why this is non-negotiable and extremely important for me.

3) Endurance has its value

There will always be someone faster than you, at not only getting the job done but mastering techniques that make getting from point A to point B a more rapid process.

But that’s meaningless if worthwhile results don’t happen because of it.

For example, when I run, my pace in the first 2 kilometres is slow and steady…

That’s exactly why I prioritize endurance over speed. Other runners always sprint by me in the first few minutes, but when they’re doing the same race, they get tired and slow down by kilometre three.

That’s when I tend to run past them, and by the final kilometre, I’ve conserved enough energy to sprint to the finish line.

The same thing has happened with the work I’ve done for clients…

Unfortunately, far too often people fall into the trap of choosing cheap and fast, over quality. This leads to people having to pay twice as much money on fixing the problem a cheaper option created.

In fact, I’ve worked with plenty of business owners who hire me to clean up the mistakes they made when they hired someone else. Or they simply, DIY’ed the content themselves, and need my help with enhancing the quality.

Because I take a slow and steady, goal-oriented apporach, I benefit from that approach over the long-term.

So, let’s talk about why this is the case…

Early on in my business, I realized that I was a lot more interested in taking the time to deliver results based on what the client wanted and the target audience craved. I felt so much pressure to get the work done quickly and efficently, but when I rushed the research process, the quality suffered.

However, when I made my process transparent on places like this blog, and also my website, I succesfully scared away people that were only interested in meeting a specific quota of content. As a result, people who cared about getting the messaging “just right” expressed interest in working with me, and that’s the best possible fit for how I work.

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Please add a comment below if you'd like to discuss this topic. – Rosie