I Got the Chaos Out of My Business

Now I’m working on my lifestyle. It hasn’t been easy to break old habits, but I’m making progress.

In February, I posted about feeling as though my business was finally crossing the chasm. I wrote about the challenges of the chaotic early years of building a business when work-life balance is nonexistent and survival is the main focus. As the business grows, however, the chaos begins to subside, and despite increased responsibilities, life begins to feel calmer. I reflected on my own journey, experiencing this transition while acknowledging the challenges that come with it.

In that previous post, I focused primarily on crossing the business chasm. In fact, this process has gotten much deeper for me over the past two months. Not only am I crossing the business chasm, but I believe I am crossing a personal chasm as well. I doubt this process is the same for everybody, but I wanted to share what my experience has been like as I’ve tried to calm the chaos in my personal life.

Some background is important before explaining further.  I have always struggled to prioritize personal care, exercise, and my own health.  But none of the efforts I have made to change unhealthy behaviors has lasted long.  None of the warning signs I have received has been enough to change my behavior. My exercise and diet habits have been a historical outlier for an otherwise rational person.

So, finally, with the newfound time I felt I had as I crossed the business chasm, I decided to hire a health coach. I signed up for a 10-week program with Danny Martoe, whom I had heard speak a few months ago at an EO event in Minneapolis. Shortly after signing up with Danny, two experiences further triggered my need for change. Back in February, I went on an EO forum retreat. Our activities started with a bike ride. About 3.5 miles into the ride, on some trails with a few hills, I began to feel as though I was on the verge of collapse. I did not collapse, but this was a stark reminder that I needed to take my health  seriously.

At the very beginning of the program, Danny sent me for a DexaFit test to evaluate my body-fat composition, bone density, and other variables.  While the results should not have been a surprise to me, they rocked me. The analysis came back and told me that I had a biological age of 59, Actually, I am 55. Perhaps worse, I got an overall body grade of a C- which may be the lowest grade I have ever gotten on anything in my life. To top it off, the test also measured my visceral fat. I am too embarrassed to share that score.

So I used some of my newly found free time to jump headfirst into this health program, which involves rigorous diet changes, exercise programs, and check-ins. I am only three weeks in, but much to my amazement, much has changed. I am down 10 pounds, have completely changed my diet, and am fitting in five exercise sessions a week.

I don’t want to jinx myself. I am three weeks into this journey and there are seven weeks to go. But everything feels different. The bad stuff I used to eat no longer looks appetizing. When I feel tired, instead of hitting Starbucks, I make sure to get more sleep. And I can’t believe I am saying this, but I am starting to look forward to exercising.

Perhaps the icing on the cake is that this new approach is helping me in business, too. I feel as though I have more focus, and decisions are becoming clearer. I think I’m going to cross this chasm, too.