A healthy body and mind go a long way to achieving your success in sales.
A healthy body and mind go a long way to achieving your success in sales.
Everyone knows that as a nation we are somewhere between overweight and obese. This is not good.
I tell my audiences, “we are so overweight as a country, if we were invaded by enemies, we couldn't even run away”.
The reason I’m writing is not to tell you what I plan on doing, rather it is to tell you what I have done, what I’m doing about it, and how I will continue this process.
For the past five years I’ve weighed somewhere between 92 and 94 kilograms. That’s not good for a kid who weighed about 73kg in college. Granted that was some time ago, but it’s no excuse to be 20kg over college weight.
Much like you, I lamented about it instead of doing anything about it. I wrote about, and bragged, that I was on my way to losing weight. I never did. I bragged that I was sick and tired of being overweight, and I was going to go on a major weight-loss program. I never did.
Loyal readers sent me messages of encouragement, diet plans, pill plans, chocolate plans, coffee plans, and assorted health options. I never did any of them.
But silently and secretly, I began losing weight. Now that I’m down below 83kg, I can come out of the closet (or should I say come off of the scale), and begin to talk about it.
Besides the weight loss, I firmly believe that sales and health go hand in hand. I believe that my physical well-being will improve my sales well-being, while enhancing my mental well-being.
I also found that losing weight is not just about watching what you eat. It’s a combination of thinking healthy, eating healthy and exercise.
Here is what I have found to be true to lose the first 10kg.
Thinking. You have to have a daily mindset and a mental awareness of what you’re doing at all times. Especially about what you eat. Two keywords are: eat less. Two more keywords are: eat healthy. And the final keywords are: weigh yourself. Thinking leads to shrinking.
Eating. No secret formula or diet or pills here. Here’s what I did: I’ve switched to soda and plain water. No other drink. When I drink soda water, I add a squeeze of fresh lemon and lime. I eat as much raw fruits and vegetables as I can. I limit bread and all other ‘empty’ carbohydrates. That’s it. I sacrifice very little.
And if I occasionally feel like having some kind of pastry or candy, I eat it, or should I say, I eat half of it. I learned that moderation is the key to weight loss. If I order something at a restaurant, I eat half, and push the rest away.
Exercising. Enter the treadmill. More than an exercise machine, it’s a healthy alternative to being a couch potato. I have one in my home. Exercising for 20 to 30 minutes three or four times a week has made me feel fit and firm.
No, I don't have a lot of muscle, but I do have a good feeling every time I finish (even though there are many days when I'm reluctant to start).
For me, exercise is a bigger discipline than diet, but now that I’m actually losing weight, the desire to keep up the habit is nearing the stage of compelling.
I should also add losing weight at my age (68) is a hell of a lot harder than it is if you’re in your 20s, 30s or 40s.
Ok, so I’m down almost 10kg. I intend to drop down to about 75kg. I believe that's my healthiest weight, and also my best selling weight. And, as a public speaker, I believe it will increase my credibility significantly.
This will be my first in a series of articles about the importance of mental success and physical success. Every person who has ever written about anything having to do with human success and all personal development books at their core, stress the need to combine mental health and physical health. I will be no exception.
With 10kg less on me, everything is a bit easier. Even the mundane things like putting on your socks and tying your shoes are noticeably easier.
But the best part about weighing less is how I feel about myself when I look in the mirror in the morning. Ok, I'm not the prettiest specimen in the world, but I love my new look. I also love weighing myself.
Some mornings I can't believe how far I've come, but my incentive is to keep going until I reach my desired outcome.
Yes I have a support system, and yes I have an exercise machine of my own, but the key to my success has been my self-discipline and desire to keep my healthy process moving forward.
And please be aware, I'm not bragging about what I’ve done. Rather I’m sharing information about how to get and stay healthy, and hopefully inspire you to do the same.
Odds are you have 10 or 20 extra pounds on you that you wish you didn't have. And you can't will it away.
Come on dude, wake up and smell the pop tarts – just don’t eat them.
Jeffrey Gitomer is an American author, professional speaker and business trainer, who writes and lectures internationally on sales, customer loyalty and personal development.
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