I’ve had the luxury of spending the winters in Miami. As a result I have really taken advantage of walking along the ocean a lot lately. I’ve always found it to be a helpful and therapeutic tool as an entrepreneur. In life and in business there are always circumstances that are out of our control where you wished you had made a different decision or taken a different path. Recently on one of my walks I took notice of the ocean waves pounding relentlessly against the shoreline and I thought to myself how this resembles the life of an entrepreneur. There are certainly days or periods on the entrepreneur’s journey that the ocean is calm and cooperative, swaying you in just the right direction you want and need to go, smooth sailing in other words. However there are also many periods where you stand at the shoreline of entrepreneurialism getting knocked and smacked around wave, after wave. It can feel never ending, unfair, exhausting, and frustrating. Walking gives me a sense of perspective and gives me a chance to clear my head and helps me step away from the swirling chaos with the ability to see the big picture. It provides the space for solutions to come to me naturally without forcing, and to reflect on past storms that rendered me more compassionate, wise, and learning to trust my own intuition more often. There has been a lot written lately about the adverse effects of sitting too long and how critical it is for your physical well-being to get up and walk around often. From my experience the psychological effects have been incredibly rewarding as well. Steve Jobs famously had meetings with key people often by just going for a walk around the Apple campus so they could get away from the office or boardroom environment as walking during a conversation seems to have the same mystical power as breaking bread together. So let us learn from what the greats did like Jobs and hold strong through the times of pounding waves by using this free and powerful tool to help keep you steady until the next calm, ‘smooth sailing’, reprieve arrives.
Have a great week!
Frank.