Real talk: Entrepreneurship is a lot like an athletic contest. It will test your will, demand your endurance, and challenge your focus when it comes to…everything.
Given those similarities, we’ve pulled 4 key aspects from the training repertoire of elite athletes to see how they master agility — and so you can check that you have them in place as well. Which of these could you implement or tweak to improve your own agility as a founder?
Focus on Goal Setting
Elite athletes set clear, measurable goals and work tirelessly to achieve them.
How you can learn from this:
Ensure that you and your team members are clear about specific, achievable goals, how they will be measured, and what success looks like. Sometimes we create goals that have no basis in reality, and or we aren’t clear how we’re defining their success. This is a seemingly simple yet critical aspect of creating your business milestones.
Develop Mental Resilience
Elite athletes face tremendous pressure and setbacks on their journey to success. They tend to have an effective support team around them for those moments, including coaches and close friends.
How you can learn from this:
Make sure you have at least 1 or 2 people around you whose advice you value, and who can offer perspective when you are not at your best. Better yet, get yourself a solid Top 5.
Prioritize Health and Wellness
Elite athletes prioritize their physical and mental health as a critical part of their training.
How you can learn from this:
While this is an obvious one for athletes, it’s often forgotten by founders in the throes of startup and working around the clock. Be sure you are implementing critical self-care including regular exercise, healthy eating, and mindfulness practices. We promise you will not regret this, ever.
Embrace Change and Adaptation
Elite athletes must adapt to changing conditions, such as weather or injury, to succeed.
How you can learn from this:
Changing conditions are your oxygen as a founder. The more you can embrace and value change, rather than fear or dread it, the better your brain will be equipped to search for solutions and new opportunities.
•••
Self-Care Sunday is devoted to you, with advice, insights, and tools to create true self-care, which goes beyond a home spa day. Not that there’s anything wrong with a home spa day. We’re in the bubble bath typing this right now.