Running and Leadership
Running teaches me new lessons in leadership each day. Right from the moment I motivate myself to tie my shoe lace and hit the road, till the time I pat my back after finishing the target I set for myself, I learn a lot from running.
When I motivate myself during the laziest days or during the most tiring days, I learn how to break the inertia. I always thought that the end results motivate a person more. However, that’s not the case here. I get motivated to hit the road when I think about the gush of energy I experience while running. This has taught me that enjoying the work motivates me to go ahead and work despite anything else going on in life at that point.
Running is the ultimate meditative process where I attain true state of calmness. There is no one to disturb my thoughts when I run, not even myself. I can just let those multiple thoughts pass through my mind effortlessly without really focusing on one essentially. I run into the green woods in campus realizing that there is no particular destiny for life other than living in the moment and the place with consciousness.
When I get tired midway and feel that I cannot go ahead any more, I can always take a step ahead or stop there and each time I choose to go ahead, I feel more confident about myself. In life, we always have the choice to go ahead despite hardships or stop midway and lean back. I choose to go ahead. Running therefore made me a fighter who fights till the end no matter what.
The most important lesson running taught me is that the more you smile the easier it gets. Each time, I feel like there’s not much energy left in me to go ahead, I force a smile on my lips. And I get energized instantly to go ahead with the smile. I indulge myself in the little joys of running, changing the way I run; jumping like a butterfly for a while or playfully hopping around like a little girl. All these make my run more joyful and easy. When we put efforts to make work more joyful, our journey gets much more interesting which would motivate us each day.
The last step of running also teaches me the most beautiful lesson. I congratulate myself each day after finishing the set target. I sit calmly for about five minutes after the run and meditate about the whole process of running, feeling it all over again. I thank myself for enduring all the pain and deriving pleasure in the whole process. Gratitude begins with being thankful and happy about one’s own self.
I could only pen down very few lessons and emotions I experience during running. However, running is a lot more to me. It is my only love that has never failed to make me happy.
Happy running ! :)
