When I worked in the corporate world, I ran myself ragged trying to be a big shot. That, along with the flood of fluorescent lighting, a persistent desire to nap under my desk and ten extra pounds left me feeling depleted -- desperate to feel better and find something more meaningful than PowerPointless.
As much as the corporate environment contributed to my unraveling, ironically, I learned a lot about how to organize systems and be efficient in the process. Now I show people like you how to get healthy by applying those same business tools... so you don't burn out like I did.
Because the truth is, when it comes to getting healthy, it's not about what you know. It's how you go about it that really matters. And for many of us, the biggest roadblock to getting healthy is the fact that we're time-starved to begin with.
That's why the first step toward getting control of your health is to think like a (good) manager. Why? Because the systems and tools good managers use are efficient and effective. In other words, they're perfect for people who don't have time to screw around.
This is what my new book, Self-Made Wellionaire: Get Off Your Ass(et), Reclaim Your Health, and Feel Like A Million Bucks, is all about. It presents a new system for implementing wellness change and shows you how applying basic business strategies can help you get your shit together.
Here are three of my favorite tips from the book:
TIP 1: FORMULATE A CLEAR VISION
Businesses create vision statements to serve as an aspirational description of what they'd like to achieve in the future. The vision is like a company's compass, it guides it where it wants to go.
It's no different when it comes to wellness. A vision is about seeing the big picture. You can't set realistic wellness goals unless you're clear about what needs to change and where you hope to see yourself in the future. The first thing you want to do when creating your wellness vision is:
Step 1 -- Identify the change(s) you most want to make. It's tempting to try to totally overhaul everything about yourself at once. Why not lose ten pounds, learn how to zonk out for eight hours straight, supercharge your energy and consistently start eating seaweed for dessert?
All. Right. Now.
But that's a terrible idea. Instead, when creating your vision, focus on one key area at a time and you'll be much more likely to succeed.
Step 2 -- Ask yourself "Why do I want to make this change?" It's not enough to say "I want to lose weight" or "I want to feel energized." You need to know why you want to lose weight or have more energy. The "why" is going to help shape your vision and keep you motivated to accomplish your goals.
For example, you might say "I want to start exercising more because I'm tired of stuffing my flabby body into my clothes and feeling gross all day long." Now that's a real reason to be motivated.
Step 3 -- Envision a better outcome. This is where things start to get a little rosier, as you tap into your aspirations. You have to put yourself in your future shoes and imagine what you want your circumstances to look like down the road. For example, you might say "I see myself fitting comfortably into my clothes and feeling secure wearing the styles I like." Awesome, now you have something tangible to work towards.
TIP 2. CREATE SMART GOALS
Part of planning for success also means setting SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely. This is the system businesses often rely on to help create well-defined goals, like "reduce our cost of goods by $1.00 per unit in the next six months."
Your goals should be:
A. Specific: They should state as clearly as possible what you hope to achieve. There's no room for ambiguity. Ask yourself, "What exactly do I want to accomplish?"
B. Measurable: They should have a quantifiable outcome that tells you with certainty whether or not you've accomplished your objective. Whether it be be pounds lost, glasses of water consumed, or freaking zucchinis zoodled, ask yourself, "How will I know when I've met my goal?"
C. Achievable: They should help you grow and stretch while still being attainable. Ask yourself, "Is this a realistic and achievable goal for where I am in life right now?"
D. Relevant: They should move you down your desired path. Anything that takes you in a different direction from your vision isn't relevant right now. Ask yourself "Does my goal match the outcome I am seeking?"
E. Timely: They should have a definitive end date. Ask yourself "When do I hope to accomplish this goal?" The endpoint of your goal should never be so far away that it seems unattainable.
TIP 3: MANAGE RISK
Although it's nice to be optimistic about reaching your wellness goals, you also want to be realistic. That means being prepared for little hiccups and unexpected events -- because, I promise you, they're going to occur! In the business world, we call this risk management, and there are three simple steps to creating an effective plan:
First, identify the risks. Determine which aspects of your wellness plan are most susceptible to slip-ups. When thinking about possible risks, you want to think about external factors, such as your environment, and internal factors, such as your attitude.
For example, one of my clients -- a busy Professor -- had a goal of losing one pound per week. But he was taking a two week pub-hopping trip over Spring Break to Ireland.
Then estimate the impact of the risk. In order to know how to alleviate the risk, you need to know what the potential impact is. Ask yourself "How will this risk impact my goals?"
In the case of the busy Professor vacationing in Ireland, he wasn't just worried about the impact the pub hopping and unhealthy eating would have on him not losing weight -- he was worried he would gain back all the weight he'd lost so far.
Lastly, take steps to reduce or eliminate the risk. Ask yourself "What can be done to reduce the likelihood of this risk?"
For example, my Professor client brought his fitbit with him and committed to walking 12,000 steps before having his first beer of the day. That way he knew he had pre-burned some decent calories to try to offset some of the alcohol.
Even if you're busy enough to have developed a chronic eye twitch, put the work in now and spend a bit of time thinking about your vision, planning for success and managing potential pitfalls. You'll not only save time later. You'll also feel a hell of a lot better now--and that's what really counts.