Career Lessons from my Running

Hello Career Trekkers, Welcome to the 14th edition of my newsletter. I know there was a long pause after 13th :) In the meanwhile I had started the project #100DaysCareerTrek where I am about to enter the nervous nineties. Do check out those post by clicking on the hashtag #CareerTrek #100DaysCareerTrek

Over the last weekend I saw many of my friends complete the Tata Mumbai Marathon and social media was flooded with pics. This took my memory back to 2019, when I started my running. In this episode of #CareerTrek I am exploring the career lessons I learnt through my running.

L#1 Career can be a Race where everyone is a Winner. Focus on your PB and not on PF.

This was my first marathon event and I fell instantly in love with these. This was a midnight marathon and was my first 5kms race. I took about 90 minutes to complete after many pauses in-between. I was super happy. The winner on the podium that day finished 21kms in 90 minutes, but that never bothered me. I was happy I achieved my goal. I looked around and saw many happy faces taking selfies at finish line. Everyone was celebrating for their own reasons. There was a runner who took two hours to finish 5kms and was overjoyed. I later found out that he could barely walk after an accident and completing 5kms was a lifetime achievement for him. It then struck me that #career journeys can be like marathons. In fact it is. I loved the term, "Personal Best" used frequently in marathon events. All the post0run conversations are around PB and not podium finishers. Similarly in #career , we can focus on bettering our previous best to improve our personal best.

L#2 Envy can become encouragement when you know the person a little better. Celebrating others success can do wonders to my own.

After this event I started participating in events every weekend. People used to ask me why I cant I run the 5kms or 10 kms in my backyard instead of paying some amount to run in a group. It is not the t-shirt or the finisher medal that mattered, it is the people I met that mattered.

Every event I met new people and ran along with absolute strangers. "Why do you run?" , "What is your Goal?" were common questions. Some ran to lose weight, some ran to prove to themselves that they can, some ran to get better fitness for their other sport and some ran just to give company to their partner. Reasons were many and varied, but every person had a purpose that would energise me rather than compare and feel disheartened. Marathon events are a place where everyone rejoices others' success. You will see people congratulating each other at finish line. Careers are no different, I experienced benefits of abundance mindset over scarcity mindset in running. I realized that it is no different when it comes to #careers . All of us are running in an invisible track with different start and end points. If we can cheer others and support/relish their success it can energize us to make our own a fantastic journey as well.

L#3 The path to Success is about helping others to succeed in their goals. What goes around comes around.

There is only one visible finish line where everyone gets a medal. The finish line is crossed by different people at different times. But, the same finish line means different things for different people. Mohammed Shafiq Khan, a senior citizen completing his 10k just ahead of me was so inspiring. He also was cheering others on the way who slowed down or paused. The cheer from him had so much power. He not only finished the race himself, but he helped many others finish theirs by being a role model. He is a regular in the running circuit and one can only imagine his influence on others. In a conversation he revealed that he is as motivated by others as much he motivates others. He said, he might struggle to complete a 10kms distance on his own in his backyard, but with a group, it feels like a breeze.

L#4 Speed and distance matter; but staying on the track matters even more

This was my first half-marathon attempt and at about 14th kilometer I almost gave up. I was looking at the exit route. I counselled myself that it is not wise to push myself beyond a point.

All this changed till I met this inspiring personality who was doing a half-marathon on a wheel chair. It shook my thought process completely. He took slightly longer than me to complete the half-marathon, but he was the reason I completed my race in the first place. He is the bigger winner. He taught me that staying the course is important and if you are gritty enough, inspiration and opportunities come to you on their own. Similarly in #careers figuring out that dream role and staying the course is crucial for success. Opportunities arrive when you are ready with the luck recipe which is made of grit and preparation.

L#5 Figure out your PACER and follow them for optimum inspiration. Set goals that work for you instead of against you.

82 minutes was my target. This was me in the TCSWorld10K in Kanteerava stadium. The concept of BUS (PACERS) in marathons is interesting. They act as role models on the track. There are different PACERS who run at different speeds to complete the race in 60 mins, 70. mins, 85 mins etc. Just follow them and you are through.

What is important is to choose the PACER wisely. Choose a goal that will push your limits but not beyond your limits. Had I chose 60 mins PACER on that day, I would have been disheartened with my result. Similarly in #careers it is important to set goals that inspire you but yet are in you zone.

L#6 Build Systems to help you achieve your goals and sustain much beyond

The #HDOR event I signed up helped me to build habits that eventually led me to a half marathon finish.

Relying on willpower alone will not last long. Excellence is a product of the systems that we build for ourself. I had a peer-group on whatsApp with whom I was sharing daily updates and group members nudged each other to stick-to and build habits. Similarly when it comes to #careers , reflect on who is your peer-group or have an accountability partner or coach.

As you read through my learnings I am sure some thoughts would have crossed your mind. Would love to know what you think about these lessons and also would like to hear some of the lessons you would like to offer. Do share by commenting ..