Guest article provided by Sheila Johnson at wellsheila.net
What do Adena Friedman (Nasdaq CEO), Dan Schulman (PayPal CEO), Ashton Kutcher (A-Grade Investments), and Joris Merks-Benjaminsen (Head of Research – Marketing at Chrome, Google, Android, and YouTube) have in common? You guessed it – they’re all successful entrepreneurs who practice martial arts! If you’d like to be a better entrepreneur, then taking up martial arts could be your gateway to the goal. Today, Wushu Central Martial Arts Academy offers some reasons why martial arts can push you to new entrepreneurial heights:
You Gain Magnetic Inner and Outer Strength
Learning martial arts is more than just learning how to fight physically – it’s also about building up mental fortitude, self-discipline, and an indomitable warrior spirit. When you know you’re strong enough to defend yourself and the people around you, it shows through your body language and self-confidence levels. You become more socially approachable and attractive, which is good when you’re business-networking.
You Learn How to Stay Motivated
You learn how to control your thoughts, your ego, reactions, and your attitude – all of which are necessary to build up and maintain your motivation levels. This is invaluable in business, where challenges are constant, stress levels high, and you need strong self-motivation to stay the course. Besides motivating yourself, you’ll also learn how to motivate your employees.
Expanding Yourself for Continued Education
Lifelong learning offers a multitude of benefits that extend across various aspects of our lives. It is not limited to acquiring knowledge in traditional academic fields but also applies to learning new physical disciplines like martial arts, creating a holistic approach to personal growth. Embracing lifelong learning keeps our minds agile, enhances problem-solving skills, and fosters adaptability in an ever-changing world.
Moreover, the discipline and perseverance required for both intellectual and physical pursuits reinforce each other, cultivating a well-rounded, resilient individual ready to face life’s challenges with enthusiasm and confidence. In this way, lifelong learning becomes a powerful tool for continuous personal development, enriching our lives in numerous ways.
When you get a master’s of business administration, for example, it not only opens up a world of career opportunities, including access to high-level positions and increased earning potential, but also equips you with a diverse skill set encompassing leadership, finance, marketing, and strategic thinking. An MBA program provides a platform for networking with a diverse cohort of professionals, fostering invaluable connections that can influence your career trajectory.
It’s Wonderful Stress Relief
Harvard Business Review notes that being an entrepreneur often means that stress and anxiety are constant companions. You need stress relief to maintain your mental balance and general wellbeing. Few other activities offer as much stress relief as martial arts. Being an intense form of exercise, it loosens up your stressed-out muscles and joints and automatically uplifts your mood. Also, kicking, punching, and generally putting your strength to use can feel empowering and fulfilling.
You Receive Multiple Health Benefits
Besides offering stress relief, martial arts also confers multiple other health benefits. Way of Martial Arts lists out the most important ones: weight loss, strength gain, better heart health, balance, flexibility, agility, reflexes, balance, peace of mind, and better memory. Improved self-discipline and being more mindful of other aspects of your lifestyle, including either cutting back or eliminating your caffeine intake; learn more about the caffeine content of beverages like coffee and espresso to be an informed consumer. You’ll live longer and have extra energy, which you can put to good use in building your business.
Learn How to Focus and Make Better Decisions
Martial arts can be a powerful tool for learning how to focus and make better business decisions. Regular practice improves mental acuity, enabling practitioners to stay focused on their goals and think more quickly in times of stress. For aspiring entrepreneurs, martial arts can also provide the necessary courage and confidence to take the necessary steps and launch a new company or explore a fresh direction.
Respect for Your Opponents
If you practice martial arts long enough, you will fall more times than you can count. You learn that you’re not always the fastest, strongest, or most skilled person out there. You learn how to treat your opponents with the respect they deserve. Humility is an essential business skill. This carries over to your business – you learn how to treat other, bigger businesses with the respect they deserve.
Respect for Yourself
Despite falling more times than you can count, you learn how to get back up again – again and again. You learn how to take on bigger, possibly meaner opponents strategically, without backing down. It can give you self-respect and dignity, which you can, again, take over to the business world. You will operate your business with self-respect and dignity.
Conclusion
Martial arts will help you become healthier, happier, and more settled within yourself. It will help build up your character and furnish you with the motivation you need to persist with your business in the face of difficulties and challenges. Too many business leaders lose motivation and give up too quickly – so don’t give up!
Image via Pexels
Both kids and adults will gain flexibility, agility, and strength at Wushu Central Martial Arts Academy, even if they aren’t athletic. Contact us today to learn more! 408-850-9479
