Location: Company HQ – Reading Time: 5mins
I’m very happy to post this excellent Guest Post by Matt Gartland of HealthyLifestyleDesign.com. Matt comes to the VBL table with some great concepts and ideas on embracing lifestyle design, with the focus on health, more then anything else.
Many people believe that business is boring. These are the same folks that work gloomy 9-5 jobs, believe that meetings are sacred, and are addicted to bureaucratic procedures. Haunting images of Dilbert, Office Space, and The Office come to mind.
These same people believe that health is boring. They are apathetic about their food choices, believe that exercise is stressful, and are surprisingly “too busy” to get healthy. Of course, they think that “healthy” is a straight-jacket restraining personal freedom, indulgence, and fun.
But that’s not you. That’s not me. We don’t settle for conventional wisdom’s. We think and act differently. We design our lives the way we want them. And in so doing, we’ve come to learn that one aspect of our life profoundly influences the next.
And so it is with business and health. The same mindset applies to optimizing both. This may not be obvious on the surface. But half-truths live at the surface. True meaning lies deeper. So let’s dive in and discover the ways you can manage your healthy life just like your virtual business.
1. Unleash Your Healthy Lifestyle Passion
Genuine and unyielding passion is a nonnegotiable when creating your virtual business. Some call it a labor of love. Granted, you may not be the next Gary Vaynerchuk, but passion is required to stimulate momentum, accelerate growth, bust-through obstacles, gain followers/customers, and unleash the maximum potential of your business.
The same ardent and visceral passion is needed to design an amazing and euphoric healthy lifestyle. Apathy, sloth, conformity, and fear are sins of a healthy lifestyle that will try to deny you success. Don’t let them. Use your passion to adopt lifelong healthy goals, experiment with diverse health foods, experiment with new fitness activities, and shrug-off unhealthy naysayers.
In the end, your business and health will rise and fall with the weight of your passion. Don’t be timid. Be bold, healthy bold!
2. Maintain Your Health Mobility
Most corporate 9-5 gigs are jail sentences in disguise. Hence, our virtual businesses aim to release us from static entrapment and allow us to enjoy mobile tranquility!
Pure health mobility (while manifestly different) is equally vital and orgasmic to your personal healthy lifestyle. In the healthy lifestyle context, mobility means freedom to pursue whatever healthy pursuits and indulgences you desire.
Health mobility is largely cognitive. Why? Because the unhealthy majority perceive a healthy life as one of confinement. They believe you must eat the same boring foods repeatedly. They think you must engage in mindless exercise for hours to get in shape. These mental constructs are all tragic health cliches that inhibit healthy free will. Literal health mobility is important too. And don’t limit yourself to running, unless running is your passion. Get creative! Go hiking, biking, or dancing. Try swimming, indoor rock climbing, or any sport. You get the idea – which is simply to be active, period!
3. Outsource Your Health Minutia
Any virtual business is littered with things to do. You simply can’t do it all. Enter outsourcing - the panacea of task overload. Use outsourcing to offload all your small, robotic, inconsequential, and repetitive tasks. The vacuum of free time this creates can be used for more important work.
Did you know that you can outsource your healthy lifestyle minutia too? You can…well, kinda. You can’t outsource your life to someone else to make healthier. But you can maximize your healthy lifestyle productivity (the essence of outsourcing).
How so? First, stop all your dispassionate obligations that don’t contribute to your good health. Second, swap time-intensive activities for time-condensed activities. Third, quit worrying about details like calorie counting. And last, let go of what you can’t control!
4. Put Your Health on Auto-Pilot
Passive income generation is a brilliant ambition for any virtual business. Such revenue streams liberate your time and energy for bigger projects and greater leisure! They also provide a peace-of-mind security net should you choose to pursue a higher-risk endeavor.
Automating your healthy lifestyle is equally advantageous. It liberates massive amounts of mental and physical energy while providing a reassuring base to your life.
How do you create such Health Automation?
First, establish your lifestyle goals upfront to avoid constant rework (very mentally draining). Second, establish your healthy base routines (e.g. workout times and plans) to avoid inefficiency and promote rhythm. Third, develop a regular sleep routine (vital to a healthy life). And last, keep only healthy food in the house so that you never have to scramble to make a healthy meal.
Succeeding at virtual business and healthy living has never been so easy! The same recipe applies to both. And as a successful virtual business owner already, you have no excuse not to catapult your healthy lifestyle to the same remarkable level!
And here’s the final secret - not only are virtual business and healthy lifestyle success fueled by the same plan, but they also fuel each other. When you succeed at virtual business, you’ll be more relaxed with more leisure time to devote to your good health. And when you succeed at good health, you’ll be have more energy, focus, and self-confidence to kick-ass with your business!
Think I’m crazy? Am I dead-on? Please share your thoughts in the comments because that’s the only way we all learn and prosper.
Matt Gartland is a lifestyle entrepreneur at Untemplater and the healthy geek extraordinaire behind Healthy Lifestyle Design (HLD). Matt’s also a world traveler, coffee fanatic, web techie, avid reader, lifelong kid, and more. Follow Matt on Twitter and join the HLD Tribe on Facebook.
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Wow!
Pingback HEAVEN – but, where are all the normal, really cool comments from everyone…???!
Chris
That’s the $1 million dollar question!
I’m just glad that people got inspired enough to share the Healthy advice!
To add a BONUS POINT here in the comments, I think all Virtual CEOs need to understand that mastering a business is no different than mastering your health. The characteristics are precisely the same. So, apply your wonderful talents at business to health and you’ll have the best life possible!
Cheers!
Matt
Hi Matt
I couldnt agree more with this additional point.
I recently planned out my entire diet for a week, stuck to it and felt wonderful. Fallen off the wagon a bit since then, to be frank!!!
But hey – great advice, Matt.
Thanks again for this great post – I’m sure it’ll be one that people come back to…
Chris
Thanks for the kind words Chris! I think virtual CEOs are so well positioned to rule amazingly healthy lives given their tenacity, focus, intuition, and creativity. All that’s required is a little spark to get going. Hopefully I’ve done just that!
Cheers!
Matt
Great post and advice Matt!
As a virtual entrepreneur and mobile worker I have been struggling with my fitness and healthy lifestyle goals. While you would think there is plenty of time and flexibility to integrate exercise and meditation – there is also no shortage of things to do as an entrepreneur.
I often find myself forgoing my fitness to finish “one more thing”. That’s why I am so excited to started retraining at a Kung Fu school as of about a month ago. It gets me out meeting new people twice a week and allows me to focus my mind and body on things other than work.
I have found it quite liberating – now I just have to improve my eating habits. Also gonna start playing Raquetball with my brother. As you suggested it’s great to find things that aren’t normal “exercise”.
Thanks again for the inspiration and great post. Checked out your blog and it’s great stuff – following you on Twitter now too!
Phil
Hey Phil…!
Martial Arts is all about switching off, getting focused (on other things), and enjoyment.
We’ve had many great conversations, Phil – next time, lets discuss some martial arts, too!
Raquetball looks intensely tiring – I’d love to give it a go someday. Not big in the UK and non-existent here in the Philippines!!!
Glad you met Matt through the VBL, thats what its all about!
Chris
Hey Phil!
I love your comment – particularly that you’ve discovered what healthy activities you really enjoy and are making conscious choices to incorporate them more into your life. That’s stellar!
Too many times people force something “healthy” into their lives that they aren’t passionate about. They’ll take up running “because everyone does it”. That isn’t a winning solution long-term. Do what you love, love what you do, live happy and healthy!
And you hit another home-run with your point on the mental (focus) liberation of healthy pursuits. This rewards pays massive dividends and not just towards your health. Your business will prosper too because you’ll have re-energized your creativity and concentration. Everything in a life (healthy or otherwise) is connected.
Lastly, racquetball is amazing! I love it too. It always surprises me how much you run (and sweat!) in such a little space
Cheers!
Matt
Healthy entrpreneurship is critical. If you cannot enjoy the life you are living then what is the point of working so hard to get yourself to a place where you are miserable.
I think that it is so critical to add healthy activity to your lifestyle since you we are so glues to our computer screens for most of the day.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
Thanks for the comment, Joshua.
I couldnt agree more on being miserable.
Onwards and upwards, buddy!
Cheers from Cebu City, Philippines – and an awesome sunrise…!
Chris
Hey Joshua!
You hit the nail on the head – a meaningful and memorable life cannot be without enjoying the process of building it. And if you sacrifice your health you inherently sacrifice your happiness. The two are inexorably intertwined.
To your good health and lifestyle success!
Cheers!
Matt
I’ve been working from home and getting ready to launch our Blog for the past year or so. I have found it tremendously hard (read: impossible) to stay healthy (mentally & physically). Since work is ALWAYS there and income to make to feed a family, I am over the limit.
Thanks for the practical ideas and words of encouragement. I need to outsource some tasks and retool some finer points in our work from home life.
There’s no sense in coming home to be a grump! Thanks again Matt (we will check you out) and thanks Chris for the great site.
Hi Daddy!
Appreciate the comment and the kind words.
Yes, its sometimes hard to stay focused on health when other things are more ‘important’ in your mindset at certain times. Stay focused, my man!
Thanks for dropping by.
Chris
A good way to keep fit when traveling is to check out the Salsa clubs wherever you might find yourself for the night (or more). Salsa dancing is guaranteed to give you a good aerobic workout – plus you get to meet a lot of people!
Hi Ioannis
Dancing – now, THAT you need to be fit to do. That’s for sure!
And learning how to dance never hurts your efforts with the ladies, either!
Thanks for the comment, buddy.
Chris
You’re right to perform in your business life, you need to perform mentally. Reducing stess, eating healthily and taking regular exercise is the way forward.
You’re spot on, Matthew.
Problem is these things take TIME to prepare and DO. And a lot of entrepreneurs dont have much spare time because they are always running around like headless chickens!
Gotta make the time, though.
Chris
- Be organized. One of the important things that you need to keep in mind to be
able to manage your business is to start with better organization. Of course, a
well-organized business will help you have a good start in making your business
run smooth right from the start.
Hi Shasad
Organization is key, thats for sure… You dont have to be too regimented, but having something solid in place in terms of how you work and the WAY you work is required, for sure.
Thanks for dropping by.
C