Is This The Secret of Success?

Is this the secret to success?

If you spend anytime on the internet today reading news articles from popular websites, chances are you’ll want into countless guides promising to deliver the absolute secret to success. While there’s little to argue that these blogs can offer helpful insight, it can also seem overwhelming.

In all of my time as an entrepreneur, I can vouch for many of these articles. Work hard. Keep learning. Never pass up an opportunity that arises.

But sometimes, there are activities to try that are completely unrelated to success yet have a significant impact on it, nonetheless.

In a recent article published by Inc.com, the writer lured me in using this captivating headline: Want to Get Smarter Without Even Trying? Science Says Do This 1 Thing.

Of course, my natural response was to click the link to read his secret. As I clicked through, a part of me was skeptical. Wait a minute. This is exactly like all of the other articles I read promising success.

Yet after reading it, I felt pleased. This wasn’t another blog telling me to put in extra hours or put in less hours. This was an article that linked success to a physiological process: exercise.

Tree reaching towards the sky

Exercise has the power to dramatically affect our lives in so many ways. We know it’s good for our health. We know that it helps us maintain a healthy weight and sleep better. But how is it directly related to our professional accomplishments?

In so many ways.

To start with, when one exercises frequently, their brain remains in fitness mode. This has a significant effect on our success. For example, the article points to several studies that conclude how important exercise is for our brain’s health. Older people who spend time gardening are 40% less likely to develop cognitive disorders. Children who walk to school versus riding a bike have higher attention spans and better focus.

We can easily follow this trail for adults. Whether we’re stuck in our office all day or working from home, those who partake in regular exercise are quite literally building a bigger and better brain. Like all muscles, the brain can lose or increase its size through intervals of activity. And while exercise may not directly cause a brain to enlarge in the same way that learning something new does, it does bring allow the brain’s neurons to sharpen, nimbly.

Perhaps the greatest lesson the article gave me? Spend less time reading blogs on the internet and get outside for some much needed activity.
I have a good feeling my brain will thank me for it.  

Person practicing yoga on a cliff