This is not about buying clothes or other material things for yourself. Instead I refer to your ability to
replenish yourself mentally, emotionally/psychologically, and physiologically. How well you rest/relax and rejuvenate yourself is of crucial importance to your ability to succeed on a continual basis for the long term.

People who have a passion for what they do sometimes tend to unconsciously pursue it at the expense of their personal well being.

If no one helps them stop doing that before it’s too late, the results could negatively impact them health wise, and in the long run keep them from enjoying whatever fruits their efforts may eventually yield.

You must come to an understanding of your body and its needs.

I like to tell people that I “listen” to my body. It tells me what it needs and when – and I make sure I give it just that, every time. This is why I’m able to turn out such a high work rate, equivalent to what 4 people would do, in a particular time period, without looking or feeling strained in anyway.

Indeed, most people half my age (I was 45 on 6th July 2015) cannot match me in the way I work – be it physically, or intellectually.

I’ve proven this many times in the course of working with clients and associates. I say this not to brag. It’s a statement of fact meant to illustrate the importance of applying the ideas I offer here.

My work related stamina is intimidating – as I can go on for well over 24 hours at a stretch, writing articles, reading, browsing, coding my Excel-VB apps, training and speaking, and in between of all that, I shuttle between 2 countries.

Average sleep time I get per day is 4 to 6 hours, depending on the work I have to do. Regardless of how long I sleep however, it never tells on my because I’ve learnt to give my body what it needs, and trained it (via relentless daily exercising) to deliver what I want, so it serves me well when it matters most.

3 tips you can use…

1. There will be times when you have pushed yourself very hard for long stretches of time, and your body will scream for a break, You would be wise to let it have that break. Else, you’ll break down from exhaustion.

2. If you fail to eat well, you will not have enough energy replenishment, and that will affect not just
your productivity but also your health. You would not be helping yourself by falling ill during your start-up period!

3. Then there is the issue of exercising. I was a very active sports person – competing at state level in handball – for over a decade (starting from when I was twelve).Even after I quit active handball to take up corporate paid employment, I worked hard to stay fit by seeking out footballers, handballers etc to train with every now and then.

By the time my work as a corporate manager made it more difficult, I began focusing on doing regular exercises indoors – usually every morning before going out. I can tell you in all sincerity, that whenever I failed to exercise, my mental alertness tended to really drop. I always felt physically heavy, and if I allowed too many days to pass without exercising, I would even begin to feel ill.

Regular exercising will help to keep you in excellent physical and mental shape to function optimally as an Entrepreneur

(Read: Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy, and Alive)

Failing to take care of yourself will take its toll on you – physically, and eventually psychologically

I’ve experienced this personally.

During my first few months of running my business, I was so consumed by the desire to get things going that I often neglected to eat or rest properly. I would leave home without eating; work all day, often returning at nine to ten o’clock at night, only to eat sparing and get on the PC to create new stuff for the next day.

Well, soon enough, people began to tell me I was losing weight! (first my wife, then outsiders, acquaintances etc).

Another thing was that my lack of rest gradually took its toll on me so that I became less effective in the tasks I was doing – slower too. As that happened, I got progressively frustrated and irritable, my memory became dulled, as did my reflexes – such that on a particular day I accidentally hit another car while driving, in circumstances that made it obvious my concentration was off. Luckily the other car was not damaged, but I got an earful from the owner!

Here’s why this above point matters so much to your ability to succeed: Others you meet (e.g. prospects) could easily draw conclusions from your uninspiring appearance and disposition, that could spell doom for your aspirations (of winning them over).

A prospective client for instance, would most likely feel uncomfortable if you approach him/her – looking pale, distracted, and irritable. S/he may not say it, but would most likely “think” it.

As you can imagine, not many people would readily write out a cheque to a service provider, who makes them feel that way! The fear would be that such a person would not deliver, or that s/he could divert the money to meet whatever need s/he had, instead of doing the job you paid him/her.

Such fears may be unfounded in your case, but if you let yourself go so badly that your appearance evokes such sentiments in the minds of your prospects, you will have a hard time convincing anyone to do business with you.

So, I say this from personal experience: Don’t make the mistake of failing to take good care of your “entire” self!