Outta My Head

“Get out of your head! You can do this!” This is what Akin, my SoulCycle instructor, says as he’s cranking up my resistance knob on Bike 9. Sometimes I wish it was that easy, just flip that switch and “Get out of your head, Casey. Get out of your own way”. But it’s not always so easy, especially when you’re the Co-founder of a company. That title holds tremendous responsibility. I have thousands of thoughts running through my head every day that I’m trying to organize into a mental file cabinet. Just like actors are able to access certain emotions by triggering certain memories, I organize my thoughts in a very calculated manner: I have files for Casey, SALIDO, family, friends, walking my dog, simple things like the date, remembering to eat lunch, booking my SoulCycle bike… you get it. You live, breathe, sleep what you’re building. That’s why it’s important to manage your time as efficiently as possible. Carve out that “me” time, do something positive for yourself and get “outta your head.” You need perspective.

I choose to focus on health and wellness: SoulCycle classes or a Boot Camp at Studio B (Bandier) or picking a class from Classpass. Many of the positive mantras and affirmations shared in these classes carry over to my day job and keep me motivated. Plus, I find these classes inspiring. When I’m in a SoulCycle class and told to hold 10-pound weights through the whole class, I’ve learned to use that when I’m facing a new challenge at work. In my head, I’m like, “F**k I want to drop these so badly, but I can’t and I won’t. Especially when I’m being called out in front of the class. I can’t drop them now when everyone’s watching, I need to keep going, keep pushing, get stronger.” After those five, six minutes of holding what seems like the end of the world, I’m reminded of how strong I really am and that I can accomplish new, challenging tasks. So when I walk into the office and have to configure our HR platform from scratch, I remind myself, “Casey, you held 10 lb weights today. You can f**king do this.” Perspective.

An outlet like this aids in not constantly talking about work; our brains need to focus on other interests, too. Building an outside community is so important for any Co-founder or early-stage startup employee. I’ve made a lot of new friends in the fitness community who share the common goal of wanting to get stronger. Plus, friends in other industries help you realize what’s trending in other worlds. They help spark new ideas. Talking about work with non-industry friends helps you fine-tune your elevator pitch and ensures anyone understands your company and vision. Again, perspective.

Developing this positive, outside community combined with rigorous coaching and being pushed out of my comfort zone has helped me hone a positive work/life balance and understand what it takes to build a startup. Ultimately, this means you truly believe you’re building something the world needs, instead of what you think it needs. While you’re living, breathing, investing everything you have into the company, learning from friends, and instructors that make you want to be better and stronger will make you a great asset at work, more positive, and accomplish more goals you ever thought possible. You’ll be able to create more value, take on new challenges every day, never fearing failure, and will become a better person because of your accomplishments.