EE 005: The Proper Care and Feeding of the EXECUpreneur: Steps 1, 2 & 8

This is another instance where my “act as if” policy can be put to work.  Act as if you are the energetic EXECUpreneur you envision yourself to be.  Act as if you are the driven EXECUpreneur that lives within.  Act as if you have the grit of the grittiest EXECUpreneur.  One who doesn’t let anyone or anything get in her way.  Act as if you have evolved to embody all aspects of the EXECUpreneur within. 

A critical step along the way is to adopt the mantra “Eat As If” to fuel your body and brain like the evolved EXECUpreneur of your future.  

These 3 steps pack a wallop so I chose them to kick off our 12-Step Program for a Body & Mind that Just Won’t Quit…  

When you embody Step #1, you’ll be invincible on or off the business dance floor.  (I’ve seen your moves…get it!)  Step 2 focuses on feedback.  You may be doing soooo many things right, yet not getting the desired results.  If you have to rely on the ol’ noggin to recall what you’ve done, you’re most likely working behind the 8-ball.  And we’ll wrap up with Step #8…this one is the Grand-Poobah of the 12-Step Program.  For if you only implement one of the 12 Steps, this is the one to live by.  (But seriously, why implement only one…that would be ridiculous!) 

Let’s get to it! 

Step #1:  Take Immediate Action

This step is #1 because it is by far the one that will make the most impact when the actions are right for the job.  T.I.A. (Take Immediate Action).  The default setting for the modern human is to procrastinate.  You may not “feel like” doing whatever it is…but, keep this in mind, activity dictates feelings, not the other way around.  

You’re never really going to “feel like” doing the things you don’t like.  Nobody does.  Even the most successful amongst us.  

Have you ever needed to do something but you were dreading it, so you put it off? Doing just about anything but the task at hand?  Then after you exhausted your efforts to dodge whatever it was you were avoiding like the plague, you finally did it.  

And once it was done you said, “That wasn’t all that bad!”  We all have.  

Sometimes we spend more time with the mental reschedule game than it would have taken to just do the dang thing in the first place.  I know I sure have!  

So, embody that Nike spirit and “Just Do It”!  

Mel Robbins developed the 5-Second Rule to help her T.I.A. in her life and I know you’ll find it fitting too.  She has mentored thousands, if not millions to do the same.  The 5-Second Rule goes like this.  Count backwards from 5 to 1, like they do when launching a rocket.  When you get to 1, do whatever it is you’ve been resisting.  Get out of bed.  Make that phone call.  Have that conversation.  Do that thing.  5-4-3-2-1…do it.  

Step #2:  Track Your Actions

This step is critical to short and long-term success.  You must track your actions.  If you don’t, you won’t know what to change to get the desired results.

Hope and pray success is not a real thing.  Nor is hope and pray weight loss.  And come to think of it, hope and pray energy isn’t a thing either.  

When it comes to stacking the energy (and body composition) deck in your favor, you must track what (and when) you eat so you can find your best formula.  While you’re tracking, you’ll get better at eyeballing portion sizes.  Usually, we underestimate how much we eat.  It’s a human thing. If you don’t keep a record, you’ll be bouncing from shiny object to shiny object.  Diet to diet.  Over-priced supplement to over-priced supplement.  

Here are the questions you’ll want answers to… 

• Are you eating too many carbs to have a metabolism that favors burning fat for fuel?  
• Are you eating too little protein to feed your lean mass and provide amino acids for the body to use to build essential things?  
• Are you eating adequate healing fats?  Too many for fat loss?  
• Are you drinking enough water?  
• How are you handling stress?  

Giving up on a goal because of a setback is like slashing your other 3 tires because you got a flat.” ~ Unknown, but I like it!

The wrong approach to lifestyle change, whether for energy or fat loss (or both) leads to quitting…and quitting on your long-term health is not an option.  Not on my watch. 

Step #8:  Put Processed Foods on Notice

This step is a biggie.  If what you buy is in a box with a “nutrition facts” label, it is most likely altered in some fashion.  Ergo processed.  Food is processed to prolong its shelf life. Not yours.  My rule of thumb here…if your “food” has more than five ingredients, pay close attention.  

Go to your pantry, or reach in your desk drawer for something in a package. If you’re like many of my clients, they have some sort of granola or nut-packed bar on hand for a “healthy” snack.  

Let’s sneak a peek at the ingredients of a popular nut bar that promises to bring goodness to the world (I won’t use a brand name, but it is a synonym for “nice”).  Let’s see, ingredients:  peanuts, almonds, honey, sugar, non-GMO glucose.  (Buzz-word…non-GMO).  

Whole food, whole food, sugar, sugar, sugar…3 kinds of sugar in the first five ingredients…what the!?!

Labeling laws mandate the manufacturers must label ingredients by weight…and their work around when it comes to the sweet stuff is to use different sources, so the first ingredient isn’t SUGAR!!! 

When I tell you these guys are sneaky, I mean it.  You must be on alert at all times.  Anything with a nutrition label is suspect.

In my next post, The Proper Care and Feeding of the EXECUpreneur: Steps 4/5/6, I break down 3 more steps in my 12 Step Strategy for a Body & Mind that just won’t quit!