How to Cultivate Energy, Focus and Freedom in Your Business

Self-care and business success are like wind and a sailboat – individually they're all right, but together they make magic. You can have a moderately successful business and run yourself into the ground doing it. Or you can have a wildly successful business by taking care of yourself as you build and work on it. As your business excels, self-care will become more of an easy practice which leads to better business. It's a worthwhile cycle to get started. Oh yeah. Time and again I hear, "How do I focus? I'm all over the place!" or "How do I get more energy so I can do all the things I want and need to do?!" and of course, "How do I create the freedom to live the life of my dreams?" Consider this: What if you didn't work to live the life of your dreams, but instead you worked IN the life of your dreams? Small distinction; big shift; huge impact. To do that, we need energy. We need focus. And we need to let go. Most of us sit, a lot. We're at our computers banging out just one last thing and before we realize it 9 hours have passed and we haven't once stood up, grabbed a drink of water, or eaten anything. Well, maybe we ate something. A handful of pretzels, a cookie, the kids' leftover waffles, anyone? That's not conducive to high-energy insightful work, now is it? No, it is not. So what do you do? Move your body. Get up; take a walk. Take 10-15 minutes (which can feel like an ete ity) every 2-3 hours to move your body. Energy stagnates if you sit too long. You need to get it coursing through your body by moving those muscles and stimulating your circulation. Drink water. Lots of water. If nothing else, ultra hydration will get you moving because at some point you'll have to use the restroom. But seriously, staying hydrated keeps your energy up. Brain cells need hydration – and so does the rest of you. Eat food that has a short shelf life. Prepare healthy snacks for the week and keep them in your refrigerator. We don't always have the time or energy to whip up a full meal, especially during a busy day, but if you have prepared snacks ready, you'll avoid the inevitable crash that comes with not eating or eating poorly. Take a break and eat a piece of fresh fruit along with some protein and healthy fat – like a handful of almonds. Or make a quick green smoothie and you'll really feel an energy surge of thanks from your body and brain. Now that your energy is sustained, check in. How's your focus? How's your attitude? Yep, it feels good to take good care of yourself. And luckily, it doesn't take drastic measures to feel the effects. Next up for your consideration: How you begin your morning. Do you roll over first thing and check your email and social media? If those are the first inputs you receive every day, you might want to reconsider. Nothing will scatter your focus faster than welcoming everyone else's life and requests into your brain before you've grounded yourself for the day. Instead, use the first hours of your day to do something for yourself or for your business. Whether that's client work, internal business, meditation, a blog post, or a media release, spend a few focused hours on that before allowing anyone else to enter your mental space. Which leads me to our next tip to remarkable focus: Chunk your time. Give yourself a few hours to work on one project. Nothing else. Social media closed, email off, phone put away, no distractions. Try working in 2-3 hour chunks, then take a break and move your body. Now for the glue that holds it all together. If you want to work IN the life of your dreams, you've got to take ownership of your thoughts. You could take all the action above, do it perfectly, and still be stressed and wondering, Why isn't this working? MINDSET is the lynchpin in your whole operation, and it's simple. Meaning... Have more fun. Worry less. Delight in the process because there will always be another milestone, a new goal, another accomplishment. It's not about the peaks or the valleys; it's about the walk. Enjoy the journey. And finally, repeat this often (and believe it): Everything is always working out for me. Because it is. Now breathe and let me know how your energetic, focused, and free business is working out for you.