As some of you know, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure recently. Mainly because I had become rather overweight and sedimentary. Ok, I’ll be honest - I’d become a lazy lard butt. Although doctors cannot definitely say what causes HP, they do know that leading a more active life contributes to keeping it at healthy levels.

Since my situation arose, I have been doing everything by the book. Exercising, taking my medication, eating better, meditation, relaxation, and the best part – dark dark chocolate and a small amount of red wine every day. Pure torture, right? Believe it or not, it has all pushed my BP so low I can barely move, which is great, since my goal is to get off the meds and manage the issue holistically and naturally. I’m hoping I get reduced or removed from the meds on my next doc visit (wish me luck!).

I have learned some interesting things from this overall experience that relates completely to running a small business that I want to share.

1.  Everything is connected and important

I am not able to be the best business person I can be without good health. As much as I might push to get another to-do item done instead of go for a walk, it catches up and bites you if you don’t do what’s needed. Remembering to attend to your health is one of the most important ways you can ensure that what you are working for really does pay off.

Part of your commitment to yourself as a business person is treat your body with respect. I know I harp on relaxation and rest, but I do it for a reason. It works. It’s important. It’s connected. How would you feel if you had a million dollars in your bank account but died before you saw your daughter get married or a grandchild be born? How would you feel if you finally had the bucks to travel but couldn’t walk up the Great Wall of China’s steps because you lacked the energy? Money, success, and fame won’t comfort you in that, will it? Don’t wait for a wake up call – make adjustments now.

2.  Experts don’t know everything (and sometimes they know very little)

I had to get a general care physician because of my situation – never had one before, never needed one. And, as nice as this one is, as well educated and trained, he is not very helpful in offering suggestions on how to really manage my BP. As far as he is concerned, I am likely destined to be on medication for the rest of my life. Partly, his lack of help is because he is an allopathic doctor only, and gives relatively low weight to holistic methods. Partly, the entire state of the industry around BP revolves around the pharaceutical industry and ultimately an unknown condition. Some people take up to 9 different medicines, each one designed to counter balance the ill side effects of another. It’s a dangerous and precarious dance and doesn’t always result in a healthy BP level. Even holistic methods offer differing results. No one thing has been determined yet that “fixes” this. It’s an unknown.

I often feel like marketing is in the same boat. Lots of “experts”, lots of education, plenty of pseudo solutions, and no 100% reliable results. Like my BP, I have to test, try new things one at a time, monitoring the results, research for myself, and ultimately do what I feel comfortable doing. Like BP, marketing is a bit of a do or die situation. It’s crucial to business success. But, guru advice needs to be taken as one point of information, to be combined with your other knowledge, your intuition, and common sense, and then applied consistently and conservatively. You can pour a bunch of money down the drain and not really improve. Keep your eyes and mind open.

3.  Consistent and committed actions pay off

I am doing the right things to improve with consistency and commitment and it’s working. Every day, I do what I need to do. No, I haven’t started working out 7 days a week for 90 minutes. I take a vigorous walk for 30 minutes. Much more than that and I am too tired to do it again the next day. No,  I haven’t gone on some freak fad diet. I have added fruits and vegetables and cut down on empty calories. No, I haven’t joined an ashram and given up all stress. I have learned to relax at a moment’s notice by breathing deeply and getting in touch with my spiritual center. Stress is part of life, and it’s not all bad. The trick is to manage it.

When you’re the CEO of a small business, much of what you do cannot be done by anyone else. You are the imagination and heart of your dream business and no one else can step in to be that. Because of your vital importance, you must take care of yourself. You could say I am suggesting that you do as I say, not as I do, since I let my health go. You could also conclude that you should learn from other’s mistakes and not fall into the same trap. I am actively fixing my mistake. Are you? If not, why not? If not, is your why not really so important that you would risk your entire business on it? Take action – I’m going to step off my soap box now, ok? OHMMMMM! :-)

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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