Running is my escape

As a social media manager it’s my only chance to look away from a screen and really switch off from the digital world

On a 10k run it’s one of those rare moments where I switch off from work completely, enter a meditative state and focus on the road ahead of me

Here are 5 lessons you can learn from running

1. Look Forward Not Backwards
I don’t care where I’ve come from. I only care where I’m going

Far too many people spend their whole life looking backwards

Either blaming something in the past for their lack of success in the present

Or

By living off previous glories so much that they have no desire to push forward

When you’re running you have one thing in mind – the end goal

You set your targets and you go for it and for that one moment that’s the only thing that matters

2. Push Yourself Further Each Time
Small improvements add up to massive wins

I learnt on the treadmill that if you break down the whole run to individual components and worked on the marginal gains you could make huge leaps forwards

My fastest 5k run is now 15 minutes faster than the very 1st time I ran

Runners always want to improve on one aspect of their running

It might be running that little bit faster or that little bit further, but settling is rarely on the agenda

We can learn a lot of that in life. Don’t settle. Keep aiming for more

3. Respect Everyone
A nod of respect says it all when out on the road

It’s a nod of encouragement that simply says well done – keep at it

Sometimes that nod out on the road on a tough run where you’d rather be home is the nod that makes you carry on

Runners respect other runners

It’s the same in the business world

We all know how tough it can be at times when running a business and there’s the upmost respect for those with the talent and dedication to go alone

4. Measure What You Do
Strava is free and an armband costs less than a fiver

It’s one of the best purchases I’ve made in running after a good pair of running shoes

If you measure something you can improve on it

It’s the natural fit for myself as a marketer – a role of which I say is 50% creative & 50% geek – who loves to measure things

Most people in life don’t improve because they don’t measure things on a regular basis and they don’t set smart goals

Look at the businesses that fly – they’re changing and adapting continually because of data an intuition

5. Share Your Success On Social Media
In a recent blog – The Introverts Guide To Social Media – I shared how many people say to myself “I’m just not the sort of person to put myself out there”

If you’re not prepared to shout about your success then why should anyone else

Be proud of what you achieve on social media and you will motivate others

The amount of times I’ve looked out of the window at the weather, been totally unmotivated and told myself I can run tomorrow – only for someone to share a strava run on Facebook and kick me out of a slump

Sharing success on social media shouldn’t always be seen as arrogant or being overly boastful

Sharing success on social media should be seen as a great motivator for others

NEED HELP WITH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA?
Chat to about Social Media Marketing for YOUR organisation , so we can better understand YOU and what will grow your organisation

We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting with you

Look at our Social Media Training and Social Media Management services

Or

Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk

Alex

Alex McCann is owner of Altrincham HQ – a social media management and training company based in Altrincham, Cheshire that has worked with 100s of local business developing their social media strategy. Alex has 350+ LinkedIn testimonials and is ranked number 1 for Social Media Marketing in the UK via independent customer reviews on Freeindex.