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Entrepreneurs consistently cite their values of independence, autonomy,
flexibility, and freedom as the top reasons they choose that career path. Are
you self-employed or working on becoming self-employed? You’re probably no
different.
However, the ability to call all your own shots may bring a great number of
challenges. I’ve often heard clients reflect some of them as…
- “Business is good, but I feel stressed all the time.”
- “I have a strong compelling vision for the future, but I’m overwhelmed
with all the possible choices – I just want to know the right things to do.”
- “I want the autonomy, but this sense that I mustn’t fail is so heavy.”
Maybe you’ve had some of these thoughts and emotions yourself.
So how do you find peace, relaxation, and excitement about your business
again? A million business gurus will tell you it begins with changing your
attitude and staying positive all the time.
Let me be the anti-guru.
Of course, the right mental state is critical, but getting there starts at a
more fundamental level: simply taking good care of your body.
We hear constantly that our bodies need exercise, a healthy diet, adequate
sleep, and strength training for our old age. You also know that the way you
feel physically has a profound effect on your thoughts and emotions. I probably
won’t say anything in this article that you haven’t heard before. But my hope is
that by reading it, you’ll look at your relationship with your body in a new
way.
So look at it from this perspective: you have an ideal life you aspire
to create. Part of that is having a thriving business. Other elements include
things such as an intimate love relationship, meaningful friendships, a
comfortable income, a thriving career, a great place to live (your home, your
city, etc.), and especially the freedom to make all your goals a reality. Have
you ever had a time in your life when all these parts were lined up and working
together? A time when you stopped looked around and thought, “this is it –
everything is just right.” Isn’t that what you really want and strive to
achieve?
Take good care of your body, and you take care of your mind. That’s key in
laying the foundation for all the pieces to fall into place.
You’ve heard all this before. Studies reveal that almost everyone knows they
“should” work out, eat well, and so on, but the top objection people have is
what you might be thinking right now…
“I don’t have enough time for that.”
It may feel like, “I’m up early, at work all day, I run to the store, get
home and make dinner, get the kids bathed and to bed (the variables may be
different for you but the feeling is the same). By then I’m exhausted and ready
to collapse in front of the TV or in bed – where am I supposed to squeeze in
exercise?”
In other words, you have the time, but you make all the other things in your
life a higher priority. There’s nothing wrong with that, but let’s tell the
truth about it.
So look at it this way: if everything in my life is working together,
including my mind and body, then…
- Exercise isn’t a chore. It’s an integral necessity that feeds my energy
and gives me clearer focus when at work and with family.
- A nap isn’t a luxury reserved for weekends. It completes my body’s need
for eight full hours.
- Eating well isn’t a huge lifestyle change. It’s a way of honoring and
nurturing my body as I would a child that’s dependent on me for her
well-being.
Now you’re not trying to fit everything in. You’re crafting a lifestyle
that reflects self-respect and balance.
It may not be easy, especially at first (baby steps are great), but nobody
ever said owning your own business would be easy. Besides, you may still reach
the level of success you want without taking care of your body, but I’d be
willing to bet it won’t be nearly as fast or enjoyable.
Until next month, my friends, here’s to energetic days and a long healthy
life.
RJ
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- by Christopher P. Neck, Charles C. Manz, T.L. Mitchell, Emmett C. Thompson
by Michael Garrish
by Brian J. Sharkey and Steven E. Gaskill