Exhaling
Written by Hanrie Fridjhon, February 7th, 2025
Running helped me survive as an entrepreneur. I started running when I was nineteen. My dad used to host a Spier Plesier once a year.
We would run 16 km from the Spier (a wine farm outside Stellenbosch). My father’s charm enabled us to use the wine farm’s showers, and afterwards we would have breakfast, then my dad would hand out certificates to all who participated. This was my introduction to running.
I still maintain that running helped me through all the tribulations and trials of starting Pro-Active Communications 29 years ago. I would never have been able to show up with such resilience, determination, and grit.
My father’s gentle encouragement as I sweated up another hill, his elaborate unwrapping and sharing of a hard-boiled sweet when we got to the top. He taught me not to look up when running hills, and I have used that analogy when work closes in on me. One step, one minute, at a time. There will be easier times, tougher ones, and medium ones. Don’t expect an easy run. Don’t expect work to come to you. You need to work for it. It is up to you. Put your shoes on. Don’t wait for motivation. Just go. I use this motto in business. It has been the light in the dark times of difficult economies (9/11, Covid, loadshedding). It is not running that injures you; it is the way you run. It is not your business that is bad; it is the way you do it.
Running is my foundation for how I run PAC:
- I don’t compete with anyone but myself
- Consistency is the key. Show up for running, show up for work.
- Listen to your body when you run. Listen to it when burnout is knocking.
- You will fall if you don’t focus, and you will fail if you don’t pay attention.
- If you get cocky while running, you will get injured by running. If you think you know it all at work, you don’t. A beginner mindset is needed for both.
- Deep breathing helps both.
- Unlearn bad habits for both.
- When I ran, my dad taught me to greet everyone. In business, treat everyone the same (CEO and tea-lady)
- I am not going to win races, but I will show up. Same for business, I may not be the best, but I will always do my best.
I get to run with passion. I get to work with passion. - I run for the joy of moving, the small gifts on the road – someone greeting me, flowers, a dog that smiles at me. I work for the same reasons: a client’s gratitude, unexpected kindness, awareness that transforms a room, astonishing insights…
I will run and work until I can’t anymore. Until that day… I will see you on the road (workshop).