Toxic Sleep

I've spent years working out....and stopping...then starting again. It's not an uncommon cycle for many of us. I tried various strategies, programs and tricks to keep myself motivated. None of them had the staying power to help me move from being a "talker" about fitness to actually becoming committed to my health, until the summer of 2013.

Physical Health Is Not Enough

If you asked me if I knew working out and eating clean were good for me I would obviously answer yes. But if you asked me if I knew how to commit to being healthy I would only recently be able to answer.

That's the funny part. My brain knew the right answer, but I did not fully realize the powerful difference eating clean and regular exercise would make in my life.

For the last fourteen months I've had a different answer when I'm asked about health and fitness. 

Life Is 90% Mental

My transition from knowing I needed to workout, to understanding that I needed to be committed every day has changed me.

Completely.

My world starting moving faster than ever before. Yours may have picked up speed too. Balancing the many hats we wear in life, managing nonstop changes in the workplace, and pushing myself to take on new challenges for the first time in my career all happened during this period of time.

...but I couldn't figure out how to quiet my mind when it was racing with so many thoughts, ideas, and pressures.

...but I couldn't find the right formula to balance my energy for the responsibilities I had to deliver on.

...but I couldn't "do fitness half way" and find any peace.

Peace.

So I went all in. I realized the combination of eating clean, a decent amount of sleep, training at a high level, and pushing myself harder than ever before actually brought a sense of calm I had not experienced in the past. 

Think about that for a moment. My commitment to health actually slows my life down, gives me some control, and brings me peace each day.

How About You

What techniques do you use to quiet your mind? Do the vices in your world include a commitment to building energy through hard work in the gym or at home with a DVD or workout routine? 

Is your network part of your fitness lifestyle? Do you fuel your body to build the energy you will need to be successful? Or, do you allow stress to be a convenient excuse to sit on the couch and make unhealthy choices.

Find some peace today.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Slow and Steady Loses Every Time

The world of work is moving at the speed of light. Or at least it feels that way for me. The work life balance discussion doesn't seem to stop, but quite frankly I don't think many of the uber rich outside of Silicon Valley are listening.

That means the pressure is on more than ever for those who are gainfully employed to continue to produce in an environment where so many talented people are waiting to jump at the chance to join your team ( read here -> in your job.)





 

Perhaps the corporate world is sending a nonstop message that tells us to be ultra-competitive in order to drive profit margins, achieve world-class status or consistently be first to market with the latest product or idea.

Maybe I'm contributing to this message?

Speed of Work

I've recently started referring to the pace of the workload and projects my team is expected to survive...er...perform at as the speed of our work. I'm still unsure if I'm being arrogant in thinking that we are expected to perform at a higher level than most; or, if we are in fact operating most days at a different level. Quite honestly I'm inclined to believe it's the latter of the two.

The obvious question which follows is whether or not work is supposed to look and feel this way? Is post-recession society (barely) simply moving so fast that leaders like me have come to believe that the speed of work for the foreseeable future must be sustained at a blistering pace?

Is the world of work just a corporate game of survival of the fittest...or fastest? I'm not so sure maintaining a nonstop pace in  any activity is sustainable, let alone in the workplace.

No Option

Now is the perfect time to discuss how HR can change the culture of the organization to help bring balance to a chaotic world. But I'm not going down that path. Work is hard, and there seems to be a heck of a lot of it to do these days. 

"I think HR has an opportunity to help source high performing employees, support them as they get up to speed, and make sure those that are dragging down your organization have an opportunity to anchor another company's slow decline."

There is no option but to stop making excuses, and pick up your pace. 

How About You

Too much time is wasted complaining about workloads, balance, piles of paperwork, meetings, email, and on and on. Yes, we have a long list of tasks to complete and email to read. Download an app or two to make yourself more efficient, get yourself organized, and pick up the pace. 

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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