Get fit to lead

Get Fit to Lead

 

You know I’m an evangelist around the whole idea of being ultra-fit if you want to be at your best. Getting into world-class physical condition is one of the smartest moves you can make. Exercising will make you look better, feel stronger and fill you with boundless energy. Staying fit will even make you happier.

 

The past week has been a time of great change for me. I’m reengineering my business to make it more focused and fast. I’m coaching my team so that they know the new standards and goals. I’m pushing myself harder to get more done and generate better results. And I’m lifting the bar on the size of my dreams. I need to make a bigger difference. I passionately feel that. As I go through all this, one of the practices that is serving me so well is my daily pilgrimage to the gym.

 

I remember a professional speaker name Peter Urs Bender once telling me: “Robing, some people go to church each day. Well, my church is the gym. And each day that’s where I go to get blessed”. I also remember a participant in one of my leadership seminars sharing: “Exercise is an insurance policy I’ve taken out on my health. And each that I go into the gym, I’m paying the premium”. Yet another personal told me recently at a book signing: “Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see.” Smart points. Wise people.

 

No matter how busy I get or how much pressure is on my shoulders, a good workout makes me feel at ease. I come off the treadmill feeling relaxed, full of joy and with a sense of perspective over the issues on my plate. I get so many big ideas while I’m running and such clarity while I’m lifting weights. And staying fit keeps me happy and positive. I know I’ll never be Mr. Universe. But because I care for my health, my life will be a lot better, more productive and longer than if didn’t. And that’s good enough for me.

 

“Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see”

 

The person who experiences the most wins

The Person Who Experiences Most Wins

 

I want the experience of an old man while I’m still young. And I think I’ve figured out a way to get it: collapse the timeline. Most people don’t take that many risks or have that many new conversations or read that many new books or take that many new travels. By engaging in these and other experience-building pursuits at a dramatically accelerated rate, I figure I could get 10 years worth of learning and lessons in quarter of the time. Just collapse the timeline by doing more important stuff faster and sooner. Just stay focused and committed. Just put more living into each of the days.

 

We all get the same allotment of time. Each of us get 20 hours each day. The sad fact is that too many among us spend too much time doing unimportant things. Living reactive lives. Saying “yes” to activities they should be saying “no” to. Drifting like a piece of wood in a river, moving in whatever direction the current happens to be moving on that particular day. All because they did not make the time to think. About their priorities. About their dreams and goals. And to note what they want to make of their lives. People have lost 20 good years this way. Seriously.

 

By getting clear on what you want out of life, you heighten your awareness around what’s most important. With better awareness comes better choices. And with better choices you’ll see better results. Clarity breeds success.

 

So don’t wait until the end of your life to become experienced. Collapse the timeline. Get clear on what you need to experience to have a fulfilling life – and then start doing it now. Meet cool people. Visit neat places. Read deep books. Seize opportunities. Fail often – it reflects an increase in your reach and risk taking. Who cares if you win or lose, so long as you get another experience to add to the inventory? Even the saddest of times make your life richer. Benjamin Zandler, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, shared the following line from his teacher’s wonderful book The Art of Possibility: “I’m so sorry for you; your lives have been so easy. You can’t play great music unless your heart’s been broken.” The more experiences, the better the life.

 

“I want the experience of an old man while I’m still young. And I think I’ve figured out a way to get it: Collapse the timeline”