What Zumba has Taught me About Business

Tuesday nights are my nights.  It’s the night my daughter stays with her dad so it’s my one night a week to do whatever I want.

Earlier this year, I renewed my gym membership with the intention to take the cardio kickboxing class.  Unfortunately (or fortunately because after taking one class, it kicked my arse!) that class was not scheduled for Tuesday nights, but zumba was.

I had never heard of zumba before, but decided to try it and instantly loved it.

It was so much fun!

The best way for me to describe it is it’s a combination of latin, belly, hip hop, African and other dances.  Apparently, it’s all the rage.  If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.  In fact, this week’s class was taught by a substitute teacher who was phenomenal!

In any case, one night a week, almost every week, I actually go to the gym for this class.  I knew going in I was not going to go much more than that.  I’m not interested in the weight training, the stairmaster, treadmill or anything else.  Just the group class.  I figured for the low renewal price, if I did one class a week, I would get my money’s worth.  Keep in mind that I had previously paid for a 3 year membership at this gym and went maybe twice … pathetic, I know!

Here’s why I go now…

When I thought about this, I realized that these same principles apply to our businesses.

1.  We need to set systems in place to keep ourselves accountable. How can you put yourself in the front row or in a group setting so that you achieve your goals?  Perhaps it’s with a group mastermind, an accountability buddy or hiring a coach.  Do what works for you.

2.  We must have fun!. As you may have heard before, when you do what you love, it doesn’t feel like work.  That’s when you know you’re doing your purpose.  You can do it and get lost in it without watching the clock and counting down to the end of the work day.

I love this quote by Ralph Marston: 

“Whether you find a way to do what you love, or a way to love what you do, the result is the same — a power and effectiveness that will bring all manner of positive things to your life.”

3.  Allow yourself to set realistic and achievable goals. There’s nothing wrong with stretching and thinking bigger, but sometimes, I feel like we focus too much on setting these lofty goals to the extent that we’re actually setting ourselves up for failure.  When we don’t achieve those goals, we become disappointed and disenchanted which causes us to lose focus on what’s most important, those little steps that keep us going every day.

Think about this for a minute and see how you may need to make some changes in your life and your business to maintain these 3 principles for success…success on your terms! =)

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