Several years ago, I was running a ten-mile race. At the beginning of any race, it’s a grind. Your breathing is out of sync, your muscles are screaming for relief, and your mind is begging for mercy. It’s not enjoyable. This race was no different. “Runner’s High” stops And the reality is, I could have stopped if I wanted to.
But after a few miles of running, everything changed. Running became easy and almost enjoyable. What changed? My endorphins kicked in. In short, when you exercise, your brain produces and releases chemicals called endorphins.
The role of endorphins in the human body
These chemicals interact with receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in your body. People refer to this as a “runner’s high,” and it’s often accompanied by a positive, energizing outlook on life. You feel more optimistic.
This is also why regular exercise reduces stress, increases self-esteem, minimizes feelings of depression, improves memory function, elevates mood, strengthens the heart, and provides a myriad of other physical benefits.
Sales is not an easy profession
Which brings me to Mark (full disclosure – not his The Show Must Go On real name for privacy reasons).
Mark is a salesman I met several years ago. Runner’s High” for It was hard for him to get out of bed some days because he knew the day would be a grind. His motivation was suffering. Mark is a smart guy.
He knows this is a function of his sales job and realizes it’s not easy, or everyone would be doing it. I’m sure if we really examined Mark, he was suffering from a mild case of depression, but I’m not a doctor.
If this sounds familiar, it probably is.
Mark is no different than many of us. He confided all of this to me during one of our coaching calls.
One day, while we were talking, I felt like telling Mark to go for a run.
It always made me feel better, triggering all those wonderful side benefits, and I thought maybe I could do the same for him. Something inside me told me not to, though.
After all, this was a sales coaching call, so my “Runner’s High” for advice had to be sales-related. That’s when it hit me. “Sales drills” are things like making phone calls and prospecting.