I have a rule when I run: the more I complain, the harder I make it.

I have a rule when I run: the more I complain, the harder I make it.

I increase the speed. I make complaining expensive.

I’m training for my 9th half marathon. Today it rained, so I ran on the treadmill.

It would’ve been easy to skip it. Bad weather, a poor night’s sleep, plenty of other things to do. There’s always a reasonable excuse available to not do something in life.

But part of why I run is to practice following through when I don’t feel like it.

That little rule about speed is how I hold myself accountable. When I catch myself bargaining about stopping early, I give myself a consequence.

That practice then carries into business. When I’m tired and there’s a difficult conversation I’d rather postpone, I recognize the bargaining. I’ve had plenty of practice hearing it my head while running, and getting on with what I said I’d do.

Running gives me a regular opportunity to work that discipline muscle.

What do you do outside of work that carries over into how you run your business?