Are you aspiring to become Elon Musk in a skirt?
It feels like another dot-com boom because small business owners are thriving and turning their work-at-home businesses into large companies.They’re blooming! If you’re an entrepreneur, you probably spend the majority of your time at your laptop, in the meetings, scrolling through Facebook Ads’ metrics, and thinking about your next big step. Lewis Howes inspires you, Melyssa Griffin makes you feel appreciated, and Marie Forleo seems to always have something nice to say to kick your butt and get you going in the most positive way possible.
Do you feel like your habits are supporting your life? Are you overeating? Unhappy to show your face on video to engage with your audience? Don’t remember when you “had a chance to work out last time” because, you know, business, errands, kids, family etc.?
Ambitious individuals make good stress eaters, lack-of-sleepers, and I-can-do-it-all moguls. While there isn’t one solution that would make our busy, often-junk filled, noisy environments to serve us the best way they can, there are definitely a few things you could choose doing that will serve you and your growing business. It all starts with you.
What do highly successful people (CEO’s, celebrities, bloggers, influencers) do daily that you don’t (yet)?
- Exercise and being active are a part of their life.
There are not many CEO, celebrities, or influencers that aren’t fit. They like to move, and prioritize their fitness at all times: on the road, during a busy season, and on vacation. They love movement because they know the movement is good for them. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym suffering though. Simple walking daily and weight sessions a couple of times a week will do.
What you can do: Try the Seinfeld method (crossing the days on the calendar when you performed a task you’ve committed to) and move more daily.
- They eat vegetables.
Because if there is one thing you could do more for your health, is eating veggies. Yes, real, green and colorful stuff (and you thought potatoes needed to be prioritized?) They are bountiful microelements and vitamins in the vegetables that provide sustainable energy to your body (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649719/).
What you can do: You don’t have to become a vegan to love them. Just make sure they push the processed stuff off your plate. Try and aim for green or bright veggies as they tend to have more nutrients and less sugar in comparison to starchy ones.
- Mindful eating.
Bingeing on Netflix shows and suddenly reach the bottom of your Doritos bag? Boom. It happens to the best of us, friend. Mindful eating is something that has been promoted by many spiritual and health industry leaders like Deepak Chopra and Mark Sisson (www.marksdailyapple.com) and it’s extremely beneficial. You won’t overeat, will enjoy your bites, focus on the social aspects of your meal, and your digestive system will thank you.
What you can do: Turn your phone to airplane mode, put your laptop in sleep mode, and enjoy every single bite of your soup and salad for lunch!
- Healthy sleep routines are a must.
Most CEO’s wake up naturally and early. While not all of us have to get up so early, getting enough time in a horizontal position might be essential to conquering the day Superman-style. The quality of sleep matters as well as quantity. Check out Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos routine (he doesn’t use an alarm).
What you can do: Turn that phone off an hour prior to going to bed, air your room, and relax in bed wearing blue blockers to protect yourself from the harmful effects of artificial light.
- Health is as much of a priority as their business.
Make “you” as important as the to-do tasks on your list. Block time off and go take a nap if you need to. Block time to think. Call your doctor if you have a lingering issue. Michael Phelps goes to his sleep chamber simulating high altitude to take care of his sleep and improve performance. You don’t have to go buy a chamber to make your sleep a priority.
What you can do: Start practicing putting yourself first. You may have important tasks and people you always put ahead of yourself, but if you don’t commit to spending time on your own health and wellness, nobody else will take of your people and business when you’re sick.
- They meditate, journal, and spent quiet time alone.
Tim Ferriss is truly a biohacker, and one of the most successful writers of the decade (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfLuQ2arP48). The guy loves to experiment, and he stresses the importance of quiet time, journaling and meditation as freeing practices creating more space for you, your health, and business. Less anxiety, stress, better mood and more creativity are almost guaranteed after a few weeks of these practices.
What you can do: Try journaling or meditation. Start small, 3-5 minutes a day. Find apps and notepads that will encourage and motivate you to keep going, pour it out on paper when you journal, quiet your mind when you meditate. Enjoy!
- Seeking support is wise.
It does not make the superstars weak. It makes them stronger because seeking support, whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, or a masseuse, will save you time, stress, and provide with an abundance of benefits. Better shape, cognitive function, more energy are just a few of them.
What you can do: Join a support group. Hire a coach that will help you transform your body and mind. Call a friend and ask her to be your accountability partner in a Whole30 challenge.
- They invest as much in their health as they do in business.
Whether it’s taking time off to spend with their loved ones, eating organic food, or building your own gym, successful people aren’t scared to invest in their health and self-development. Surprisingly, you can learn they’ve been doing it for a long time, long before their financial stability and successes. Part of their success? Possible! If you want to grow, you need to buy the seeds and plant them!
What you can do: Hire help. Sign up for a gym membership. Buy organic. Take time off.
- They commit and stay strict.
Have you seen Mark Zuckerberg’s infamous last year’s running streak? It can be hard to commit to something daily, but there are hundreds of people doing it. Strict commitment is better than a wishy-washy one. You’ll deliver, and get the results you want for your business, life, relationships, and health if you commit. No, you don’t have to eat wheatgrass 7 days a week. But you can encourage yourself to give it a try, and commit to something for 1, two, three, or 6 months. After all, a new healthy habit gets ingrained into your routines right around the 6-month mark, according to research (according to Jason Seib, the fat loss expert, https://altshiftdiet.com/altshift-activate/).
What you can do: Pick one habit, and commit to it for 30-60 days without skipping a day. Every day, write down a small (even the smallest) win that day. Praise yourself often, and keep going. You’ll feel like a king/queen in a month.
- They disconnect.
Otherwise, they’d probably go crazy, and we‘d hear about it on Fox News. Imagine Arianna Huffington answering emails at midnight? Impossible. It’s essential to let your mind rest from all the overwhelming situations, stress, activities, and actually, enjoy the real-life experiences instead of watching your computer’s screen with sales stats. Feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and inspired will help you to conquer more exciting and challenging projects.
What you can do: Go to a park, walk the dog, do something that is personal, but aesthetically pleasing to you and makes you forget about everything else for 15-30 minutes.
- Create habits that suit YOU and only you.
Early riser? Snacker? Vegetarian? Crossfit addict? We’re unique snowflakes no matter how many common features we have. If it works for you as a CEO, it may not work for someone else. Find what works for you. Get out there and learn, what food intolerances do you have? What kind of fitness routine do you love? What makes you happy, centered, and left feeling joyful?
What you can do: Find the unique routines that help you thrive and make you feel awesome. Not a fan of getting up at 6 am? You don’t have to. Don’t like yoga? Try Pilates. Not a fan of juicing? Try Keto. The goal is to find something that makes you happy (other than pizza, ice cream, and Instagram feed).
12.They know when to back off.
Yes, they do, mostly. They do get burned sometimes, but otherwise with heavy involvement in business and/or their career, if they didn’t prioritize their health in time, they would get put on the sidelines far too often. They’ll lose time and money, opportunity and balance. If you’re feeling the burn and it’s not in your thighs from a Stairmaster…it’s time to take a break. Nervous breakdowns, anxiety, and depression seem nearly epidemic in the 21st century, and nobody wants you to add to that.
What you can do: Take a few days off. If you’re a business owner, you’re likely checking your email way too often and being near your phone/laptop 20 hours a day. Your empire will stay intact and have more opportunities to grow if you stay healthy, centered, and joyful.
Do you have any healthy habits that made you more successful?