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The Simplest Way to Boost Your Entrepreneurial Resilience
In my research on entrepreneurial resilience, the most frequently cited approach to solving a problem, relieving stress, and boosting resilience was this: go for a walk.
Study participants were busy women business owners who juggled demanding work and family schedules. One would think the last thing they had time for was go for a stroll! Yet all of those who reported feeling high levels of resilience both personally and in their business had made it a practice to go for a walk at least once during their day.
The physical benefits of walking briskly for 30 minutes or more per day include:
It’s what walk does to your BRAIN that has the biggest impact on resilience.
Resilience Boost #1: Boosting the secretion of dopamine and serotonin (the “happiness hormones”), walking lightens your mood and heightens your creativity. Double points if you can do this in a more serene setting like a park. Research shows walking in nature helps individuals recover from mental exhaustion, resulting in improved performances at difficult tasks.
Back to my research, one research participant with a thriving manufacturing pet accessory business affirmed, “If I need a break and need to calm down and refocus, I just go take a walk in the woods. That’s what keeps me sane; I think it’s nature. Just to get out there, go away from it all in a little while, and just get the energy back.”
Resilience Boost #2: Who says walking has to be a solo endeavour? Increasingly in business circles, “walking meetings” are a thing. One way to take up a problem with an employee or brainstorm with a colleague, have a walking meeting! It helps people unplug from their devices, change the scenery and get all the physical and mental-boosting benefits listed above.
Resilience Boost #3: Another plus for walking is how it can help improve the quality of our sleep. For those of us who ruminate over business problems – especially at night – that can be a big resilience booster.
“Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation, a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind. Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.” – Gary Snyder
What Do You Think?
Please share your experiences and thoughts below. Let’s learn from one another and celebrate each other’s successes.
Thanks for reading!
In my research on entrepreneurial resilience, the most frequently cited approach to solving a problem, relieving stress, and boosting resilience was this: go for a walk.
Study participants were busy women business owners who juggled demanding work and family schedules. One would think the last thing they had time for was go for a stroll! Yet all of those who reported feeling high levels of resilience both personally and in their business had made it a practice to go for a walk at least once during their day.
The physical benefits of walking briskly for 30 minutes or more per day include:
It’s what walk does to your BRAIN that has the biggest impact on resilience.
Resilience Boost #1: Boosting the secretion of dopamine and serotonin (the “happiness hormones”), walking lightens your mood and heightens your creativity. Double points if you can do this in a more serene setting like a park. Research shows walking in nature helps individuals recover from mental exhaustion, resulting in improved performances at difficult tasks.
Back to my research, one research participant with a thriving manufacturing pet accessory business affirmed, “If I need a break and need to calm down and refocus, I just go take a walk in the woods. That’s what keeps me sane; I think it’s nature. Just to get out there, go away from it all in a little while, and just get the energy back.”
Resilience Boost #2: Who says walking has to be a solo endeavour? Increasingly in business circles, “walking meetings” are a thing. One way to take up a problem with an employee or brainstorm with a colleague, have a walking meeting! It helps people unplug from their devices, change the scenery and get all the physical and mental-boosting benefits listed above.
Resilience Boost #3: Another plus for walking is how it can help improve the quality of our sleep. For those of us who ruminate over business problems – especially at night – that can be a big resilience booster.
“Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation, a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind. Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.” – Gary Snyder
What Do You Think?
Please share your experiences and thoughts below. Let’s learn from one another and celebrate each other’s successes.
Thanks for reading!
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