Taking care of myself

I talk all the time with startups about scaling. Scaling a service, scaling the team, scaling the business model. All of it has something in common – taking care of the company to make it for the long haul.

This holiday break was one of the best breaks ive had in a long time. It was filled with a lot of good family time, some traveling, exercise and reading.

I’ve decided I need to figure out how to take better care of myself. 2011 was a crazy year for our family on many levels. There was a lot to be thankful for but there was a lot that took its toll.

So I’m working on taking better care of myself. Heres my list so far.

-travel less. For many months in a row I traveled every week. It’s just too much. I practically collapsed every Friday night.

-work out better. My knee started bothering me after we did the Century bike ride. So I’m gonna bite the bullet and get on the treadmill more. I hate the treadmill but my body needs it. The treadmill will help me scale

-eat better. I gave up caffeine, red meat and fish a few years back. But I still ate processed shit. For the next 30 days I’m only gonna eat real food. I know it’s the right thing to do.

-less tv and more reading. I confess I watched too much tv last year. Between sports and hbo shows like game of thrones and true blood I was a zombie. It was probably also because I was exhausted too. I read 5 books all in the 2nd half of the year. I want to read a book a month.

-coach. I often recommend a coach or mentor to many entrepreneurs I work with. And I’m a coach to a few of them. It became obvious in 2011 that I should practice what I preach so I’m now working with a coach. It’s early but obvious that it’s a healthy thing for me.

I am a lucky guy. I love my family and my work. I want to build this thing to last :)