After two years of running, I hit the 1,000-mile mark during yesterday’s 5.6-mile run on July 4, 2022. At 64 years of age, this number didn’t come easy, but it was a good reminder that small, consistent daily steps, over time, can lead to some pretty interesting outcomes.
I grew up on a ranch outside of Tucson, Arizona. The state capital, Phoenix, is about 111 miles away up Interstate 10. If you were to tell me back in the early days that in 50 years, I’d run the equivalent from Tucson to Phoenix 9 times in two years, I would have said you were crazy.
Fast forward back to this week.
When my Nike running app notified me of this distance milestone, I smiled because it reminded me of the similarity between running and starting my firm back in 1986.
Practicing law, trying cases, and building a business is like running. Often you’re not sure how the day is going to go. You don’t always feel like going to the office or court, but you roll out of bed, put one foot in front of the other, and everything seems to fall into place.
To learn my craft as a lawyer, some things came easy and others I struggled with. For reasons beyond my control, I had cases that settled within months and others that took years to litigate and take to trial. But each day I put in the time and eventually, after decades of work and being lead trial counsel in more than 70 cases, everything fell into place.
In my case with running, not all runs were long and fast. Sometimes they were slow, very slow. Now and then, especially with injuries, days and even weeks would go by when I didn’t run at all.
My take-a-away with running and business is that consistent activity with the right mindset can get you to where you want to go. You don’t have to plan everything out but you do need to take constant action.
For me, running and paddleboarding center me. It’s a Zen kind of thing. There’s just something about being outside, surrounded by nature, and getting the endorphins to kick. These activities make me feel good and allow me to roll through my days with a better frame of mind.
A couple of things that crystallized in my mind during yesterday’s run and that I’ve learned from being on the top side of the grass for six decades are:
(1) Stay active,
(2) Embrace who YOU are,
(3) Help others,
(4) Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously, and
(5) Make each day your masterpiece.
How about you? What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work that helps you enjoy life and, I’m just spitballing here, something that might even make you a better human being?
PS- Over the last several years, I’ve shared a few running vids here.
