What are the most important life lessons one can learn from running?
Hello friends, last year in the month of December 2019, i had my first ever half marathon in Gurgaon, India and somehow plowed through the chilly season in a record time of 2 hours 10 minutes(yeah it’s a record time for myself :) because my initial expectation was 2.45 hours for the first one).
This was an enthralling experience overall and i learnt few important life lessons and some financial lessons when i finished my run and i had a smile all over my face, feeling of joy, achievement and sense of life with struggle for breathing and immense pain in the entire body however it was way smaller than the joy and accomplishment i had after the run.
Any HMR(Half Marathon Run) or even Full Marathon stands on the pillars of Sacrifices, Hard Work, Mind Battles and Discipline.
No doubt, I run for the sheer sense of freedom as it gives, the golden opportunity to talk to your body & mind and joy to think freely while staying strong battling your thoughts for some more run, some extra push.
The most joyful thing is, seeing yourself improving after every run which keeps you motivating also to run, improve again every day. This is the
1st lesson that we always have to keep working on improving ourselves consistently daily,
which is the vehicle for moving towards excellence and achievement.
I started my HMR practice, few months back by setting up goal of Half Marathon using Nike Run App which gives you complete plan for everyday. Goal planning is really important and i completely believe because of this plan only, i was able to achieve this feat.To know more about why goal planning is important, read this.
Running builds your mindset and train you for setting up goals and tracking performance as a way of life and is really important for your finances too.
And this simple act of setting a target and tracking our daily run performance can have unimaginable profound impact on our thought process for better.
This simply pushes you out of your comfort zone and builds a golden future.
This is the
2nd lesson - We need to have similar planning and discipline with our finances which would build our joyful and secure future
and that's the reason, i recommend SIPs to plan small amounts in good mutual fund schemes which will definitely help you fulfill your goals.Read more about which funds to invest, here
While life may be short, the journey of life is pretty long, so harness your thoughts wisely and build a discipline to secure your future.
Everyday when we start our run, it takes few mins before we get in to rhythm because it takes some time to warm up your body irrespective of how many races you have run already or how many runs have you completed already.
That’s the
3rd lesson — there would always be initial pain, initial discomfort for sometime and it takes a while before you get in the game
and start running in rhythm like your finances getting in to shape and your savings in rhythm would take some time and would look difficult initially. But don’t lose your heart, keep proper plans and these small savings will build wealth for long marathons of your life.
Here in my run, after few kms, i saw an underpass. Yes, there were infact many underpasses to be precise total 8, 4–4 both ways and i was scared that underpass means going downhill and then coming uphill every time which would make my run difficult as my plan was to run with a comfortable average pace for the entire run in a rhythm.
This reminded me that life is not always bed of roses rather make the best use of the options available. I let myself free on the downhill which increased my pace because i knew uphill would definitely slow me down.
Same happens with the markets up and down. So someday, your portfolio would be affected because of ups and downs of the market, what we need to do is to remain invested in SIPs and may be you can take your time to revisit the portfolio to check for any changes in your strategy.
Make the best use of the choices offered in life and do remember the golden words — Buy Cheap and Sell Dear so you can grab the opportunity of downhill, that’s the 4th lesson.
Don’t panic.
As John Lenon said “Life is what happens to you when you are planning for life.”
As i was running in the flow with other people constantly maintaining my pace and breathing, i was about to complete the first half of my half marathon and i encountered the U-Turn. This told me the
5th lesson — “Change is the only constant”.
We don’t want to change anything and come out of our comfort zone. We just want to enjoy the flow and keep going where ever life takes us however when mandatory turns come in life, we need to make necessary course correction. This makes us move towards our goals more closer and keep us on the path of happiness, success.
I kept running with the same pace and was also following few people who were running ahead of me not to lose sight on them. Someone wiser said, if you don’t know which path to take then just follow the footsteps of successful people or people ahead of you in life (and i take it in run and in finances also).
After 14–15 kms of run, i was completely exhausted, my knees were hurting, my foot felt like was without shoes as if am running barefoot and to finish the run, i knew that more pain was inevitable.
As i knew that only few kms are left and so also wanted to increase my pace to better my timings however i held my nerves and just kept my momentum, reminded myself that this is not a good time for any adventure in over-enthusiasm. I saved my energy for the last part of race where 2 underpasses were still left and could derail my entire plan of completing the marathon in good health for any new adventure. This is the
6th lesson where in life also, as we grow older or as we move towards completion of any of our goals, we should not be taking any extra risks
and infact all wiser people and financial advisors say same thing that keep your money, funds, investments in debt rather than equity which could be more risky.
In these moments of immense pain and last few kms, i kept moving forward and reminded my self of only the goal which i had to achieve. I think in this situation,
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s words are most apt ‘If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.’. This is the lesson # 7 — Keep moving forward.
In the last km of run, when you see other people running with you and few moving ahead of you, you just get a smile on your face even in the pain and you feel happy for them too that they are also moving towards the finish line, enjoying the success. There is literally no competition here.
Your abilities and someone else’s abilities are not the same. Do the best that YOU can do and be HAPPY with it.
The lesson #8 is — The most gratifying experiences usually come as a result of enduring the most painful trials.
At last, i completed my run reaching the finish line waving my hands up with victory. I took some water and sat there for a while, relaxed and enjoyed the sweat, success, freedom and i was full of joy that cant be explained in words. Finally, I took my medal, kissed it and took some photographs.
This was the last lesson #9 — You cannot reach the finish line unless you start.
We have to take steps towards the financial freedom, towards savings, investments to make our life more enjoyable, more joyful and to take care of our life. And remember the last person to finish the race is still better off than the person who refused to even try.
Any marathon training is like setting up your personal financial goals and planning, executing for it.
The old adage “Slow and Steady wins the RACE” is apt for long term financial planning. You won’t save all the money you need for financial freedom or retirement in a year or even in 10 years. It’s a long-term process and it works out slowly. You put away a little at a time into your savings, investments for your goals, until you finally hit the finish line.
Later reached my home and family was waiting for me to celebrate my victory, our victory.
This marathon event is finished however my RUNNING has just started and i know for sure, many more are yet to come. STAY STRONG, STAY HEALTHY.
So, do let me know what have been your learning from marathon and for your life?
Photo Credits: Google Images
Happy Investing
Be Money Wise :)
AviAnkRa