Exercise will fuel your career, in more ways than you can imagine.
“I’m tired, I didn’t eat, and I won’t have enough time for a complete workout anyway… so why start one in the first place?” …. this is what was going through my mind, still - five minutes later I was dressed up in sports clothes and warming up with some rope jumping.
This inner monolog, in one form or the other, is happening before almost all of my workouts. My brain, like yours, is probably really concerned about wasting energy and really talented in finding creative excuses to skip a workout.
Why am I telling you this? To show you that this kind of self-talk is nothing unusual. However, you don’t have to listen to it, you don’t have to listen to yourself.
You are not your thoughts.
The only questions you need to ask yourself in these situations are: “What would a healthy person do?” & “What would a successful person do?” -
Do you think “The Rock” skips a workout because he is tired!? … the answer is no.
If you have an idol or friend, that you are looking up to when it comes to fitness, you can replace “healthy/successful person” with his or her name to make the questions even stronger.
Whenever I find my brain rambling about why it is a good idea not to work out, I simply ask myself: “What would Tobi do?” - That’s how find myself in sports clothes five minutes later. Works like a charm - thanks, Tobi.
But why work out in the first place? Here are ten obvious, and not-so-obvious, reasons why working out will help your career:
People look for it in resumes.
Whenever someone scans your CV and finds that they like the same hobbies, or have the same interests as you do, you can bet that it will be a point in your favor.You will look better and will be more comfortable in your own body.
Sure, it would be better to live in a world where looks don’t matter, but, until we get there, you are hurting yourself and your career if you don’t play the game.
It’s not about being ripped, like “The Rock”, it’s about you, taking the time to care for your body. Also, looking good in your own eyes will make you exude confidence - which is an even stronger magnet than just looking good.It will bring discipline to other areas of your life, hopefully, business.
Working out is one of the most rewarding things you can do. You will see and feel the results, and it will teach you that with discipline a lot is possible. Maybe this learning will also translate into your day job.You will understand that everything worth having, takes time and effort to get. You won’t have a ‘beach body’ for summer if you start working on it in April. Change takes time. However, once you are on a good streak, and you start to see and feel the changes, you are more likely to keep going. The same goes for your job - once you are working long enough to have more impact, you will realize untapped potential and hopefully advance to the next stage.
Hard things can be extremely rewarding.
If your workout doesn't challenge you, it also doesn’t make you grow anymore. The same is true for your job. Just implement what you are learning in your workout and change things up so you can grow constantly.You will be healthier.
Sport has so many great effects on your body, I’m not even going to start listing them here. By working out you will be healthier, and therefore you will miss fewer days at work. Your performance will be higher and you will be more reliable.You will fight off that cheap dopamine addiction.
You will sleep better.
It will improve your ability to handle pressure and perform under stress. Sometimes during your workout, you will want to give up. When that point comes, all you have to do is to focus on the next rep. Focus on the next 100m. Focus on what is right in front of you. If you are executing a good plan and things get heated, just focus on the next task. That will get you through it.
Living longer will give you more time to play the game and win.
It is undeniable that people who exercise regularly tend to live significantly longer (As I said, you don’t need to pump iron. many centenarians in Italy ‘just’ walk everywhere. that is exercise too! every physical activity that is a challenge for you is a workout!). And since almost all the really valuable things in life come from compounding effects (friendships, relationships, return of investments, etc...) the longer you can play the game, the more you will benefit from it.
I hope this is enough to get you started or to keep you from skipping that next workout. Remember this list, or better yet - print it out, and whenever you are about to skip your workout, make it clear to yourself that you are not only giving up the exercise but all the benefits from it. This way, hopefully, loss aversion1 will kick in and you will find yourself in sports clothes only minutes later. And if that doesn't help I can assure you that my friend Tobi wouldn't like it - so just ask yourself: "What would Tobi do?"
Have a great day.
(If you want to brighten my day, then send this newsletter to a friend (or enemy) of yours).
GNF
As always, let me know what you think in the comments or answer this email.
I read every email myself and try to answer quickly.
loss aversion is a cognitive bias that describes why, for individuals, the pain of losing is psychologically twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining.