Taking Care of You (vs Business)!

Failure in business is 'achieved' due to a plethora of reasons, and typically not singular in nature. When it comes to taking care (or not taking care) of yourself, failure can build up to unrecoverable circumstances if you aren't mindful and self aware or know how to get back on track.

I've been there... not exercising enough, not eating healthy, drinking too much, lack of sleep and/or odd hours of productivity or rest. All of these contribute to a difficult time being motivated, rational and can affect your relationships. Your co-workers, partners, investors and others can sense / feel it. At times they avoid you (or you avoid them) and it's counter productive, moreover, toxic. Worse, it affects your family relationships. Your spouse, children and others can feel your anxiety and unrest. Bottom line, it's unhealthy and detrimental to you and the business you are trying to build.

There's another byproduct of all this as well: Confidence. If you aren't feeling your best, your relationships are strained or your exhausted, your confidence level can be off. If I've learned anything, you must have confidence. If you don't, it's hard to be a leader. It's hard to sell your vision, let alone yourself or product in those must win moments.

Making mindful changes to your life isn't easy when you are in a rut. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things, so I thought I'd share a few examples of things I've figured out over the years.

1) Find time to burn (bad) energy: In fact, it can turn into just the opposite giving you new, positive energy when you get your steps in, or walk and talk during a conference call. I wake up early and go to the gym for an hour and split the time between weight lifting and cardio. It's a positive routine in my life at least 3 - 5 days a week; 2 - 3 during the week and at least once on the weekend. When I was younger it was there almost everyday at 4:30a pushing myself with aggressive, heavy workouts, HIIT cardio, etc. in nearly a two hour span. I'm older and less motivated nowadays, but it's still an important part of my day.

2) Avoid fast food: I haven't gone to a McDonalds, Burger King, etc in years. I try to avoid fried foods. I seek organic and simple/minimal ingredients (read the label, it can still contain lots of sugars or GMOs). I enjoy a big breakfast (lots of eggs, homemade chocolate zucchini muffin and my own homemade 4 shot macchiato with almond milk, cinnamon and honey). I look forward to it everyday and it never gets old. It sets the tone and avoids cravings for the bad stuff throughout the day. I snack a lot, banana, kombucha, natural jerky, etc... in general though, stay away from heavy, greasy, processed foods, you simply feel better.

3) Intermittent Fasting: If you haven't tried it, it may sound impossible, but it can give you quick and immediate diet results (if that's what you are looking for) or it can give you a new energy source. The general concept is eat within an 8 hour window, then fast for 16 hours. For the best results, avoid carbs. It takes discipline if you like to snack, but if you can find a rhythm to this, it's worth trying. For me, because I love breakfast so much, I stop eating at 4 or 5p and then wake up, work out and have a normal eating day until 4 - 5p comes around again. Some people stick to this for months, but like exercise don't let your body get content... so I stick with this for a few weeks when I feel I need it and then try something else.

4) Yoga: Again, I'm older now and less flexible. I wake up stiffer so I try to stretch in some form or fashion at night. Downward Dog, Pigeon, Happy Baby, or simply touch my toes and hang to loosen my back, hamstrings, etc It's meditative in nature for me. I'm not in front of my iPhone, iPad, MacBook, TV, etc Just in my bedroom, on the floor with no sounds, blue light, etc. It's a great way to finish the day and not cheat afterward by trying to respond to that one last Slack message, text or email.

All of these have helped me, but it's taken years to figure it out. I hope this helps you a little, but experiment and find your own things to help your lifestyle. I'd love to hear what you do... maybe you can teach me something new?!

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