Could a Fitness Goal Help Your Career?

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Sometimes we need goals that have nothing to do with our careers, financial future or performance.  From time to time I find myself focusing on seemingly inconsequential, somewhat irrelevant goals that from a glance can be seen as a distraction from some of the critical parts of life. For me these usually are fitness goals: run a marathon, have my personal record on a race, do a certain number of pull ups or drop to single digits in my body fat (if you know how much I love to eat, you’d know that’s almost an impossibility). So why bother with them, you might ask.  Here’s what these goals do for me.

Can fitness goals help your career?

Forced disciplined. I’m a disciplined person by nature, but when I’m focusing on a fitness goal I get in a whole new level of commitment.  Interestingly, that discipline spills over other areas of my life including professional and relational.

Broken routine. One day you wake up and life is a series of predictable activities. I often find myself going through my daily routine without much thought or focus. The interjection of a new goal, by the nature of it, disrupts the status quo and forces me to do things differently, and more importantly, intentionally.

Heightened performance. I found out that each time I met my fitness goals there was a major psychological boost in my professional performance as well. I cannot quantify it, but a shift happened in my thinking that simply says “if you can accomplish this, you can take the next challenge in your professional career.”  These fitness goals somehow transferred a sense of confidence to other areas of my life, embolden me to get past performance and thinking plateaus.

For me, reaching these goals give e more than just a sense of accomplishment, a plaque and a t-shirt. These are personal morale and productivity boosters that help me work through the moments I might feel stuck or not sure of my own abilities to go to the next level.

Have you experienced anything similar? What was the outcome?

  • Derek Brown

    This is a great post! I have also found that my greatest career accomplishments coincide with completing marathons and triathlons. I think you hit the nail on the head — the discipline that training requires spills over into other areas of life.n

    • Maurilio

      @67880ff6ab08b53a40ca94bd14fecf34:disqus Glad that you have discovered as well. n

  • Christian

    For most of the people I meet on my day-to-day walk of life, the concept of “fitness” is as daunting as climbing mount Everest. I know because I used to be a professional couch potato. After being sick and tired of being sick and tired, I drew a line in the sand and refused to look back. The road has been long and arduous. There have been many set-backs and slip-ups. However, as I continue to pursue my own physical transformation, I am convinced that anyone with a fitness “goal”; ANY fitness goal, will not only help their career, it will help their LIFE.

    • @3fad815bac2b09c1df7407fe11924003:disqus I can relate to the “professional couch potato” statement myself. Well done. n

  • Anonymous

    I am not disciplined by nature so yes, fitness goals DO help my career (and my money management). I am currently training for Hotter N Hell (a 100 mile bike race in Texas, in August) and I see that

  • Anonymous

    Sorry…nnI am not disciplined by nature so yes, fitness goals DO help my career (and my money management). I am currently training for Hotter N Hell (a 100 mile bike race in Texas, in August) and I see that focus and discipline overflowing into other parts of my life.nnVery easy – and fun – way for me to grow in many ways.

    • 100 miles in Texas, in August. Wow, I think the name describes it well. I hope you have a blast. n

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