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Show Notes:
What if you need to BE different in order to accomplish your next goals? What if the missing link is not working harder or investing more money in your business, but rather making your SELF more resilient and strong?
This week it’s just you and me. I’m gonna talk about something that’s been on my mind.
You know how you keep hearing a theme over and over again and it finally sinks in?
I’ve been going through that about how self-care and fitness connect to being an entrepreneur.
I resisted the hell out of this connection for years. But I have been hearing this theme too many times from people I respect to ignore it or naysay it.
I was hesitant to talk about this with you because some stuff out there about fitness feels really alienating to me. The tyranny of thinness is alienating. The idea that bodies should look a certain way is alienating. I’m not into that. I don’t believe fitness or self-care looks one way. I think it’s very personal and different for each person.
But I decided I NEED to talk about this because it’s important for me to share what’s helping me in my business and what’s helping others in their businesses. So here I am, talking about fitness.
I’ve been hearing something over and over from entrepreneurs who accomplish a lot. Over and over I hear that they have fitness and self-care routines that they stick to.
I’m talking about routines to take care of yourself and your health so that you can be who you need to be to in order to run your business at a higher level.
Tara McMullen, the founder of Cocommercial, has said that you need a morning routine that gets you ready to be who you need to be to lead your business each day. She’s taken it all the way there and is now running half marathons and bouldering and doing all the stuff. She started just with morning walks and increased from there.
Jeff Guenther was on this podcast recently and said that hiring a trainer and working out 4 or 5 times a week has made a big difference in leading his businesses.
Casey Truffo talked about this when she was a guest. She talked about getting up before the crack of dawn to do an intense workout each day before she starts running her companies.
Bari Tessler who was a guest last year does a daily hike up a mountain near her house.
These folks are all entrepreneurs who keep on growing and evolving their businesses.
So what if it’s true? What if the thing you have to do in order to take your business to the next level is to change your self-care routine? What if that is a necessary key to helping you build the capacity to go where you want to go next?
Here’s my story right now. I have a big pivot coming up in my business. I’m going to tell you all about it on the podcast soon. In order to get ready to make this pivot, I am changing my self-care routine. I’m increasing my capacity and my energy level so that I have the resilience to follow through and do the work to make it happen.
My recent routine change (from the outside at least) has not been huge or dramatic. It’s the right amount for me now. I will be 100% honest and I will promise right now not to inflate or exaggerate what I’m doing. As tempting as that may be. I had already changed how I eat a few years ago so that the vast majority of what I eat is real food and I’m avoiding the stuff I discovered doesn’t make me feel good. It’s made a huge difference in my energy level and day to day health. What I’m changing now is about movement. I used to exercise quite a bit. Then I dealt with an injury a few years ago and haven’t been doing as much.
So what’s my new routine? I’m simply getting up 20 minutes earlier every morning, drinking a glass of water while I start to brew my coffee or tea, and then getting some exercise. On one day, I go jogging. Just a mile for now. My knees don’t like more than a mile at this point. The next day, I do strength training. I just do a plank, a very small but growing number of push-ups, and a few other exercises each time. I am averaging 10k steps a day by walking more throughout the week. So I’m not doing the same thing as Jeff, Tara, Casey or Bari. I’m doing what’s right for me for now. I’m easing back into it.
It’s only been a few weeks at this point. What’s the impact?
One thing I’m noticing is that I start the workday feeling a little more physical energy and a little more mentally alert.
I’m also feeling a sense that I can trust myself to do what’s important.
I am showing up for myself each morning, and that’s building my sense that I can trust myself to do the same for my business.
It feels subtle but important.
I will keep you posted about this. I have resisted this connection between fitness and entrepreneurship for so long. But I can’t ignore the message anymore. Between hearing from Jeff and Tara and Casey and Bari, and so many others, I’m convinced that I need to be committed to doing this.
So here’s what I’m wondering about you:
Who do you need to BE in order to take your business to the place you want to take it, whether that’s more income, a bigger reach, starting a podcast, writing a book, or creating an online program?
What if self-care is a huge key to this?
What kind of self-care routine could help you be who you need to be?
How can you show up for yourself so that you can build your capacity and resilience?