On the mind.

It was a tough week — one of those weeks where my motivation was a little lower. So, I went for a run!

One of my favorite things to do when I’m not feeling it is to run. There have been many times, in the middle of the day, when I couldn't focus on work. When I get in this headspace, I run.

I run for my family. I run for all the people I work with. The people around me are my biggest motivators. They are my drivers to stay healthy.

Most of all, though, I run for myself.

“You can't take care of anyone else unless you first take care of yourself.”
― Michael Hyatt

I am a big believer that the best way to take care of others is to set a selfishly strong foundation for yourself.

But, why do I run?

• My health. It’s good for the lungs, heart, brain health, and even the immune system.

• I’m genuinely happier and have a more stable mood when I run every week. When I tell people why I run, I usually start with this reason.

• As stated above, I do it for the people around me, especially my family and my team (co-workers).

• Fresh air, getting outside and under the sun. I always run outside.

• It gives me a space to think. On many of my runs, I stop to take notes on what I’m thinking about. My days can be really busy, and my runs sometimes are the only time to just… think.

• Along with my thoughts, it gives me time to listen to nature (to the world). I don’t listen to music when I run anymore. It feels distracting, and I find it more peaceful.

• Weight management. It’s health-related but deserves its own bullet. This is why I started running.

• It’s an easy way to explore what’s around you. Every time I travel, I run. One of the first things I do when I’m in a new place is go for a run. You can cover miles from the perspective of the streets and get a feel for the area and the people who live there.

Your health is important, and if you want to be your best self each day, you need to take care of your health. You don’t have to run, It’s not the only option but I think one of the easiest ways to take care of your health is to do a simple daily run.

If you’ve worked around me long enough, you’ve probably heard this pitch. The pitch is basically: that anyone can run a mile a day, and it can change your life. I try to motivate my team members to exercise, and I recommend, when starting out, to keep it simple. ANYONE (unless health-related) can run 1 mile a day, and it can literally change your life. Just 12 minutes a day of running can make a significant impact.

Running for me is my relaxer, my mood stabilizer, my exercise, and more. I do a lot of other exercises as well (i.e., weight training, calisthenics, core exercises, and action sports), but none are as rejuvenating as a run.

Thanks to Kristin, my wife, who got me into running when we first started dating! Here’s a pic of Kristin (on the right) and our friend Brugii (on the left) from a run we did last week.

Business.

One of my notes from a recent run:

I am not building this company for me.

I never have.

It’s always been about a collective group and drive to make an impact on this world.

Never forget that.

One pic.

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That’s it for this week. Thanks for following along!

The Weekly is a newsletter that goes out each week written by Greg Bellinger, currently building and CEO of White Rabbit Group and The Labs.

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