Do You Take Care of Yourself?

The following describes too many business people: You’re a solopreneur or you run a business with a few employees. Sometimes you’re struggling.

You never have enough hours in the day. You push yourself, drive yourself, and, ultimately, you don’t take care of yourself.

A few days ago, I met a former attorney who is now a writer and photographer. When I commented that I worked with personal injury and medical malpractice attorneys, she said, “Yeah, those are the guys who die early from coronaries.” We traded stories of attorneys who died at deposition or in the courtroom.

Do you really take care of yourself?

I’ve talked to LNCs who don’t take care of themselves.

• They take pride in how little sleep they get, how many meals they skip—or how much fast food they eat on the run.
• They don’t exercise.
• They sit way too long at their desks.
• They’re on their cell phones or computers until right before they finally stumble off to sleep and then wonder why they are sleepless.
• They think the many ways in which they sacrifice their health are necessary for the success of their businesses and for their personal success.
• Maybe they say hard work never killed anyone.

They’re wrong.

Would You Treat Your Car That Way?

On an elementary level, trying to be a successful LNC while practicing the above harmful habits is like driving a car with the safety brake on. You don’t get very far, and you’ll ruin the car.

To continue the analogy, too many people treat their bodies far worse than they would their cars. They might buy good gas and oil, but they think that a fast-food hamburger, fries, and carbonated beverage equals good fuel. In reality, it’s sludge, and someday their hearts will probably tell them that.

Brains Need Rest and Relaxation

Scientists and doctors say that the average human needs 8-9 hours of sleep a night for optimal health. That includes brain health. When you’re constantly exhausted, you start to make bad decisions. You think more slowly. You get irritated, and your interpersonal skills take a dive.

Does this sound like the pathway to lasting success?

You can’t afford to burn yourself out when you have a service business. Snapping at clients and employees or subcontractors leads to big trouble. I found if I came to work in a bad mood, I had to be very careful how I reacted to my staff.

It wasn’t their fault I was irritable. Working with clients who are under constant stress can lead to constant stress in your life – if you are not careful.

Bodies Need to Move

Your body is designed to move. Your muscles want to stretch. Physical exercise burns off nervous energy. The well-exercised body falls asleep more easily at night.

Sitting at a desk, especially in front of a computer, all day creates both mental and physical exhaustion. The savvy person gets up at least once an hour and walks around. He or she may devote part of lunch hour (which is always taken) to walking.

Lose weight

Yes, I admit it. I’ve allowed extra pounds to settle in my belly. I did not like my silhouette.

I’ve been using an app called Noom since March and have lost 10 pounds. It is a mix of group support, weighing in, recording food intake, and education. I’ve learned a lot about the psychology of eating, hunger, portion control, green, yellow and red foods (In terms of desirability, not appearance) and how to say no to food that I should not eat.

Be honest. If you are carrying around a few extra pounds and not feeling good about how you look, start working on that. Check out Noom to see if you like the program. You get a free trial first. Using it changes the way you view food, and encourages you to make healthy choices.

And take care of yourself. Life is short and you have only one shot through.