5 Things I learned About Business From Running

I've been a runner since high school.  I think the reason I have kept this up for so long is because I change my routine, constantly look for challenges and some days, I just take it easy and run for therapy!  I approach my business, and life, the same as I do running - and here are some things I've learned from running that help in business:

Embrace change.  As much as I love to run at the same time, same place, with the same people - I'd miss opportunities if I didn't run along different paths with various terrains.  Same with work - if we do everything the same and never change year after year - we'd miss opportunities that come from broadening our scope and trying new methods!

Strive for new goals.  It's very easy for me to run at the track - everyday.  But then all I get good at is running at the track.  Mixing it up - running stairs, doing sprints, running faster for shorter distances, etc., is a way to set new goals for the same thing!  With business, we basically do one thing - sell real estate, manage property, etc.  In order to keep it fresh you have to mix it up too - blog about something other than market reports, do some different marketing, make a fun home video, etc!

Time is precious.  I only have 1 1/2 hours in the morning to go run so I maximize that time!  We all have only so many minutes in a day (and your life!) - prioritize your time - do what you need to first, whether it's blogging, making calls, returning emails; do what's important next - daily business tasks, showing homes, etc., and then take the rest of your time to enjoy the day and your life.

If you just aren't on it - take a day off.  Can't tell you how many times I've made it my mission to get to the track and get there but have no energy to even run a lap!   If it's something that can wait and be done another day - stop! It's OK to take a day off! Even with work!  It's better than forcing and being frustrated the entire time you are working on a project! 

If you hit the wall - you hit the wall.  If you are a runner or cyclist - you know what I mean!  You start out - doing your best time, feeling great, knocking out the miles.  All of a sudden - you go from 50 to O and you just can't move anymore.  Show of hands on those days where you get 3 great "I need help finding a house..." calls and all of a sudden by mid afternoon - none of them worked out!?  It happens - so just wind it down and work at finishing instead of winning!