It is a typical weekday at my home office (also known as my sister’s guest room where I have been living for the past year while sheltering in place). I have finished a client meeting and it is time to dive into my projects. Yet, I am constantly trying to beat back the worry of the next steps in building my book producing business. Where will I find my next client project? Will anyone want to buy that book idea I am putting together? Will I be able to replace the income I was making by year 3? What amenities do I need to cut back on or give up to be my own boss?

Over the years, I have discovered that the best way to combat my anxiety is to put on a pair of sneakers, find a humorous podcast, and head out on a run. I have tried other things to deal with stress (yoga, food, wine), but the best cure for me is running. People have told me to try meditation to beat stress, and I tell them, running is my meditation.

So, on this Tuesday afternoon, I put on a graphic tank with an empowering message, leash up my dog Hank, and head out the door to stomp out the anxiety I am feeling about pursuing the next steps in my career.

Admittedly, I am not in peak running shape. I have not run regularly in the past year, too busy working and trying to deal with the stress of the pandemic. I have had my dog, Hank, for about 3 years, but he has suffered from my lack of regular running too. I need to do a better job training us both on how to run together. It had been hard to be consistent during the workweek, but now that I am my own boss, I have no excuses not to run. I have the freedom to control my own schedule.

When we hit the road, Hank takes off immediately. I can barely keep up with him as he is ready to charge the road ahead. But after the first mile or so, he needs to mark his territory or sniff the suburban shrubs, making it difficult to establish a steady pace. And toward the end of the run, when Hank doesn’t want to go on any further, I somehow convince him to keep going.

Running with Hank is often how I feel about making this decision to change my career path and run my own business. There are times where I want to sprint and make everything happen at once. Then there are the times when I don’t want to go on, thinking full-time employment will make me feel more secure. And then there are times when I want to stop and smell the flowers along the way (and sometimes I do).

But I remind Hank that it is a marathon, not a sprint, and that we are running toward the goal of reaching a certain number of miles at the slowest pace possible. We eventually make the round trip to home, and I can feel the runners high kicking in and kicking out the self-doubt I was feeling an hour earlier, ready to tackle what awaits me at my computer.