I find vacations, particularly ones where I can enjoy natural surroundings, to be inspiring.

Being a naturally goal-oriented person, I decided that during a San Francisco vacation last month I would attempt a five-kilometre run every morning.

I knew it was possible that I wouldn’t make the goal or even come close, but I figured that even if I got one run in, it would likely be one of the things I remembered most about my trip.

And so at 6 a.m. on our first morning in California, my husband asked if I was going to embark on my first run. Caffeinated but wide awake, I decided to put my best foot forward, pardon the pun, even though I had not run for at least a few years. Aside from a couple of runs last month, I had more or less retired from my jogging routine after I had my son.

So I set out that morning from our hotel perched atop one of the seven glorious hills of San Francisco and caught the sun creeping up, popping through foggy patches, as it does on summer mornings in Northern California.

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Caught a glimpse of the Bay bridge

As I looked right, I caught a glimpse of a section of the Bay bridge and magnetically was pulled towards it down a rolling hill marked with dips and valleys as I went. I jogged down Stockton Ave., turned on Columbus and then made my way down to the pier on Broadway.

As I ran, the expanse of the Bay bridge grew larger and soon I had a full view of water.

It’s hard not to be present during a run like that. While I know San Francisco very well, the city felt new in that early morning hour and welcomed me again after a few years of being away.

I felt energized, with new ideas swirling through my head, but most of all I was shocked I actually catapulted myself out of bed and finished my run with a steep climb back to the hotel.

And from there, the momentum flowed. Almost everyday I did a hard work out or ran through the city, finding new routes and hidden pockets I hadn’t seen before.

Nothing was rote or usual. The yearn to explore weaved its way into almost every morning of my trip.

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And therein lies the muscle that every entrepreneur must grow. The yearn to explore, to take on a challenge and then let the momentum from your hard work follow.

After five years of running and operating my own firm, there are weeks that feel repetitive and tasks that are more mundane than exhilarating. Pushing the reset button was what I needed to fill the tank. Entrepreneurs must push themselves, level up, and find inspiration in the ordinary.

And if, like me, other entrepreneurs are searching for renewed inspiration, treat yourself to a reset in these waning days of summer. A warm evening or the early morning air may be the magic ingredient to your best idea yet.