“The body is much happier in motion than at rest, and our actions are just a translation of the rhythm of our heartbeat.” -Uwe Kruger
A body at rest, a body in motion! Both literally and figuratively it’s easier to maintain momentum than it is to overcome inertia. A body at rest stays at rest, a body in motion stays in motion. It costs energy to alter either state, and our bodies are built to move – and so it goes in leading and influencing others as well. The more we move, the more we do. The more we do, the more energy we generate within.
Are you an exerciser? How do you feel when the alarm goes off at 5:15AM for a 6:00AM workout … not so good? Lethargy, aches and pains. How about two hours later when the run or the weight training is done? Energized, fluid, smiling and ready for the day. We are happier in motion! Now, how about when it’s time for the formal ‘mid-year review’ for all of your direct reports, and you haven’t spoken with them of goals and objectives since setting them in January? “Lethargy, aches and pains”. Regardless of context, we are born to move. We conquer disease, then live and lead in such a way as to counter what we conquer. We know a great deal about the applied behavioral sciences, but again we live and lead in such a way as to counter what we might have conquered in a workshop, coaching engagement or real-life experience.
This makes me think of my father too. From his 60s on he did less and less, and it’s a common response to aging for many of us. The longer we’re here, the more life “hurts” when we move. One strategy is to move less, right? If you move less, it doesn’t hurt. The problem is, with this strategy then the less you move – the more it depletes you when you do move. What we focus on expands. If it’s our limitations, they will grow. If we focus on what we can do, our capability grows. It takes energy to overcome inertia. Don’t stop. Keep moving. Don’t waste energy just trying to “get going” every time. Keep going. In leading as in living, it doesn’t have to be fast and furious. Just keep going. We are happier in motion!
Let’s do something different – we can’t help but get better:
1. Take stock – on a scale of one to ten, give yourself a rating on your movement and motion in the last 30-days (literally AND figuratively, living and leading).
2. Take action – Make a 30-day promise … in living and in leading raise the bar. If you’ve done really well over the last 30-day period, then change it up a bit. If you haven’t done as well over the last month, pick just one thing to attack in the next month.
Go for consistent movement every time – we are all happier in motion! Whether it’s a walk to improve your health, or the needed phone call to one of your people, make it happen.
-Don Brown
don@donbrown.org
Don Brown dedicates his career to ‘helping people with people’ in leadership, sales and customer service. Bilingual and experienced at the executive and line-level alike, you see the results of his work across dozens of industries, including brewing, automotive, airline, banking and medical equipment.
Speaking, writing, coaching and selling to the best – Ford Motor Company, Anheuser-Busch, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson, Jaguar Cars, Hilton Hotels and many, many more – Don takes great pride in long-standing customer relationships (some running well over twenty years).
