BUSINESS

Take care of your body — take care of your business

As an entrepreneur myself, I know how easily it is to get caught up in the frenzy of completing the massive to-do list.  There’s always something that needs to be completed “right now!”, someone demanding you take care of their needs–it’s nonstop.  That probably makes you feel scattered, unfocused and just plain “not good enough.”


What happens when you have this to-do list that’s never ending? Have you taken a moment to listen to your body?  Really just stopped, turned off all of the noise, and did a scan of your body?  What do you feel? Chances are you’re exhausted, you may realize that you’re carrying an extra 10- 15- or maybe 20 pounds.  It might be that the last thing you ate was a cup of coffee and a donut and you wouldn’t know what the inside of the gym you belong to looks like.


In those moments when you get quiet, if you step back to the time you decided to start your business–what were your reasons?  Do you still feel the same passion for your adventure? Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your reasons or maybe it’s time to take care of yourself so you can take care of your business.


Start with eating right–which means cutting out the processed foods and eat real food before you get hungry, like organic fruits and vegetables and organic meats.  As a business owner, you’re probably a planner, plan your food so you don’t become hungry when you can’t get to the good stuff.
Get the right amount of sleep–your brain needs rest to be creative to solve the problems that arise in your business.  If it’s not rested, foggy thinking moves in and you will probably just create more problems.
Drink water–water is our most important nutrient after oxygen, essential to our health and emotional well-being.
Exercise–decreases the stress hormone cortisol.  It helps you take your mind off of any problems and actually helps your mind think more creatively.  Some people do their most creative problem solving when they’re exercising.  There’s something about the repetition of running, walking, cycling that acts like a mantra.  When you’re doing something especially difficult, like mountain biking, skating or dancing–something that takes a certain amount of planning your next step, sort of gives your brain a rest so it can move on to the problem solving in your business.
Feed your soul–plan things to do every week that is totally for you–maybe it’s taking a painting class or setting time aside to read a book you’ve wanted to read for a while.  Maybe it’s spending time with friends.  Do something that’s totally unrelated to your business.  Put it in your calendar and don’t let anything get in the way of doing it.  If you’re not feeding your soul, the passion for your business will disappear.
The reality is, if you’re not taking care of the foundation of your business, which is you, you will eventually develop health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, heart problems, etc.  Which is more important for your business, keeping the foundation healthy or having the foundation crumble?