Goals - Vision, Strategy, Execution

This was Half Marathon #25

How to Deal with Trigger Anxiety — In Running and Business

Why do companies need visions, goals, processes, and task lists?

“Don’t overregulate us. We’re losing our edge as a startup. That’s why we work without all this big corp baggage.”

Sound familiar?

Here’s the problem: Startups often have plenty of activity… going nowhere. They’re busy, but not effective.

This morning, during the second half of my run, I listened to Joe Rogan’s conversation with Mark Zuckerberg. Joe talked about elk hunting in the mountains with a bow and arrow. After 11 days in the wilderness, he finally saw a target 75 yards (68.5 meters) away.

But here’s the challenge: it’s a long shot for someone who doesn’t practice consistently. That’s when trigger anxiety sets in — that psychological and physical hesitation that creeps up when the pressure to perform is at its peak. It’s performance anxiety disguised as overthinking, fear of missing, and the weight of inconsistent preparation.

Joe shared his solution: a consistent thought process. A simple, reliable routine that overrides the mental chatter. From my own experience, I’d add box breathing to calm the body while focusing on execution.

This made me think about running… and business.

Today marked the end of a 5-week training cycle. Over that time, I’ve pushed my Sunday long runs from 21k to 27k. Running in the high 20s is something I haven’t done in over a decade. For most of 2024, my longest runs were half marathons or high tens.

Long story short: I was tired. Some version of “trigger anxiety” crept in. Should I cut it short and try again next week? I’m exhausted. Why lace up the shoes at all?

This is where processes, programs, and task lists save the day. They keep me anchored to the long-term goal: running 50k every Sunday. Box breathing helps quiet unpleasant emotions, and the process ensures I can ignore the inner noise and just get going.

What works on the micro level works on the macro level.

Trigger anxiety happens in companies, too. And it’s even worse. Startup CEOs and their teams often operate on the brink of extinction. The stakes are high. The pressure is relentless.

This is why startups need vision, processes, and task lists — right from the beginning. These tools create focus, structure, and clarity in chaos. They’ll go through trial and error, scrapping and rebuilding until they find the 20% of processes that deliver 80% of results.

Sometimes, it means pivoting — scrapping everything, even the vision. But when a team gets it right, executes through the noise, and stays committed despite the anxiety, they’ll win.

What works for a tired runner on a Sunday morning also works for a team chasing its next milestone: trust the process, breathe, and keep moving forward.