What Running Can Teach About Life and Entrepreneurship

From marathon runners to amateur joggers and those who make running a healthy routine, it’s understood that running is a solitary and personal journey, where you are alone with the sound of your steps and sometimes irregular breathing; a journey within your own thoughts.

“During my sports journey, the theme that came to mind most often is the similarity between the athlete’s path and the life journey, and how the sports experience can be transferred to managing my lifestyle and my company,” said Marco Traina, CEO of Beetroot srl.

Those lucky enough to practice sports know it can be interpreted as a metaphor for life and that experiences gained as an athlete can be applied to everyday life.

Here’s what sports in general, but especially running, can teach about your life or entrepreneurial journey:

We Are Stronger Than We Think

Body and mind are capable of incredible things. Running teaches that although the finish line may seem difficult and far away, believing in our abilities is the best incentive to reach the goal, the destination. It doesn’t matter the time, we can always improve; what counts is to reach the end. The same applies to life. Reflecting on the toughest situation we managed to overcome helps us remember the joy we felt when we succeeded.

Look at the Goal, But Also the Path

Keeping the goal clearly in mind helps us move forward, but it’s important to consider and plan the path to take and the steps needed. This will help us understand mistakes to avoid and little tricks that can help us do better.

Avoid Burnout

Pushing too hard at the wrong time during training can cause injuries, while in a race being greedy and hasty often burns energy too early.

Entrepreneurs know how to push at full throttle and use adrenaline to fuel themselves. However, burnout is a real threat that can’t be taken lightly; once injured, it’s not the pain that’s the problem, but the frustration of not being able to complete goals as desired. You need to give yourself time to recover.

To avoid burnout, you need to sleep well—at least eight hours a day, create a good morning routine, eat healthy, exercise, and invest your energy also in non-work activities. All these habits will help maintain your entrepreneurial form and keep you ambitious and constantly motivated.

Reward Yourself

Sports massage often helps prevent injuries and improve training conditions. For athletes, massages are seen as a reward for hard work, becoming a strong motivational factor.

Money is not the only motivating factor sufficient to work hard and improve; what truly satisfies is the reward given by the experiences lived. The reward can be a trip or simply a good bottle of wine.

The secret lies in connecting work with experience, considering that both must be present to stay motivated.

Routine

Some exercise every day, some twice a week, but it’s definitely a routine requiring consistency and dedication.

The same applies to work. From managing emails to carrying out daily tasks, when disciplined, any problem can be tackled and solved through continuous dedication and consistency.

Perform the Activity in the Right Place

Preparing for a mountain race is not the same path as running a road marathon. For an athlete, it’s important to always train in the most suitable place according to one’s needs.

This concept is identical when talking about work; if you travel while working, a space like BeetCommunity in Palermo can be perfect to balance travel and work.

Lose Excess Weight

Running with 5 kg more than your ideal fitness is hard work. Losing excess weight makes running much easier.

In business, excess weight can appear in various forms. Taking responsibility for too many tasks, even minor ones, makes you less agile at work. Focusing on completing only important tasks definitely improves performance and satisfaction.

Eliminate the excess weight from your to-do list; you’ll find running easier.

A Climb Also Means a Descent

A saying from cycling goes, “After the curve, it flattens.” Of course, after the curve, there is still more climbing, but a cyclist knows that after a climb comes a descent, and this motivates them to continue. A climb can make your legs feel heavy and tired and may make you give up on your goals. Being able to face life’s and work’s difficulties (the climbs) will allow you to reach the summit and be rewarded by the sweetness of the descent.

If You Don’t Try, You Fail

The fear of failure is one of the most dangerous phobias in our personal and entrepreneurial lives. For example, if you don’t sign up for the marathon, you have no chance of winning!

Run Your Own Race

We are always in competition, always comparing ourselves with others. We try to find out how they work, how they succeed, and how we should use their experience to our advantage. But everyone must run their own life race to achieve their goals.

In a marathon, you can only race against yourself and try to improve your personal best. What other runners or “entrepreneurs” do should not influence how you manage your race.

No matter what sport or entrepreneurial activity you do, the important thing is to enjoy the journey with passion and interest. Achieving goals depends solely on how much you believe in yourself. Safe travels.