Running is my preferred form of exercise as it helps me stay fit and provides me with an opportunity to clear my mind. Unfortunately, we recently sold our house which means my familiar running route is now gone. Despite being a creature of habit, there is a downside to this as any exercise routine can become monotonous and fail to provide a challenge after a while.
Enter – the trail runs.
Lately, I’ve been doing trail runs and I quickly realized that my endurance varies when running on challenging paths compared to my usual daily runs. My goal is to gradually improve until I can run the entire trail without needing to stop and catch my breath. Though I’m not quite there yet, I understand that it takes patience and consistent effort to reach my desired level of stamina.
Whatever your preferred form of physical activity, there is a general measurement of recovery. How long can you engage in exercise before you need to stop and restore your breathing? Once you pause, how long does it take to recover? That length of time is your recovery measurement and with consistent effort and repetitions, your recovery time will shrink. That is my goal with the trail runs and I am confident that I will get there. For now, however, when I need to stop to catch my breath, I walk back down the trail until my breathing is normal, then resume the run. I believe this method is more than a penalty – it is the path that will enable me to run the entire trail without stopping.
What does this have to do with business? We are in a constant state of change. People and businesses are either growing or decaying. We tend to resist change, but it is inevitable.
Our industry in the crux of change. The technology we have used for the past decade or more is rapidly become obsolete. The same can be said of our business models. For those of us who have been in the multifamily space for a while, it is staggering how much we have evolved. We used to use pegboards and carbon paper for rent collections, receipts, rent rolls, and more! We have come a long way but there is a new trail in front of us and we either go all in to figure it out or we resist and find ourselves out of the race entirely.
Learning new technology is daunting at first and you may need to pause and catch your breath. That’s okay. When you’re ready, take a deep breath, square your shoulders, and lean in to the changes. Find your resources, your tools for learning, and your cohort of others who are doing same thing. Avoid complaining or spending too much time with the naysayers because they are slowing you down. Instead, sit in the front row and absorb everything you can.
Do the reps. Make mistakes and try again. Become a force for good change and before you know it, you will run the trail without stopping to catch your breath.