Running, Running, Running

By Michelle Leonard, CPA

I recently read a statistic that in a survey of 1,000 professionals 94% worked at least 50 hours a week, and approximately half worked more than 65 hours in their average work week. The article went on to describe the typical American professional as harried and burnt-out and while I have certainly seen (and at times even experienced) this overworked exhaustion, the article gave me pause. Have you ever noticed that the most successful people seem to be “doing it all”? How do they do it? As a professional, mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, volunteer and marathon runner the demands on my time can feel endless and I’m sure most of you feel the same way. As I reflected this, I compiled a few lessons that have helped me feel more successful over years of running (literally and figuratively!).

• Preparation is key but be flexible. When I am training for a marathon I write down all of my training runs for each day, months before the race. The goal, of course, is to stick to the plan exactly as written but life happens – events come up, it rains on your long run day, that new client meeting didn’t go as well as you had anticipated – so, always have a backup schedule. If you are willing to be flexible, you will be more productive when things don’t go exactly as planned.
• Set realistic goals. It is okay to start small! Most people don’t become Olympic marathoners or even CEOs overnight. It takes time and hard work to build up to your end goal.
• Nothing lasts forever. Inevitably, in marathons and in life, there will be struggles but if you are prepared and keep working hard, you come out on the other side before you know it. The fatigue wears off, the economy turns around, you get that new account.
• Follow someone who is better than you. Running may be an individual sport but no one ever succeeds completely alone. Find a friend, mentor or peer who is faster, smarter, more tenacious than you and learn from them.
• Celebrate your successes. It is easy to want to move on to the next best thing after you’ve completed a goal but take some time to slow down and celebrate what you’ve just accomplished.

So, how do we succeed when it feels like we’re always on the run? My friends, it’s all about perspective.

Michelle Leonard, CPA | Manager
MLeonard@MHCScpa.com