You Have Only One Life - So What Are You Going to Do About "The Dash"

A little over two weeks ago,  I attended the MA World Conference in Miami like I do every February.  It is a time of learning, positive energy and of course that warm Florida sunshine.  Every year there is that little nugget that sticks with me after the event and this year it was no different.

My nugget this year was during Market America CEO, JR Ridinger's epic closing presentation.   During one part of his presentation, he had a few tombstones scattered in one section of the stage, with the name "Joe Nobody" on it.    A first glance at this, and you though, what the heck is this all about?   As JR's presentation went along, it had a deeper meaning that you could imagine.

JR was making a point that you only have one life and it is detailed on your tombstone.   You have your name, your birth date, your death date, and "The Dash" in the middle.   JR stressed that you have complete control of what you do during the dash. like being a Joe Somebody, including building your own legacy after your life is complete.    JR also made it clear to the 25,000 entrepreneurs in the audience is that you have one dash, unlike a cat with nine lives.

There are different ways you can view "The Dash"

- How you take care of your health and well being

- How you take care of your own financial well being

- How you related to people including your family and friends

First, your health.

We all have bad habits, including eating the wrong foods, not exercising or not getting enough sleep.   Every time we do something not good for our body, we are shortening the dash on our tombstone.   You always hear if you have a diet of sugar, smoke or you don't exercise, chances are you will have a life-shorting disease.   So why do people do that?   Do they feel invincible or are they lazy?    Most of the time it is lack of focus and not realizing that they are only shortening their dash.    When someone reaches middle age, if they change their lifestyle to be focused on a healthy diet, exercising and avoiding drama and stress, they will in fact extend their dash and build their own legacy.

How about your financial well-being?

For those who know me, in addition to my IT career, I got a few side hustles going on and invest on a regular basis so I will never have to suffer from the "45-year plan".   So what is the "45-year plan"?   It is you go to college, get in a lot of debt, then work at some company or multiple companies over the course of 45 years and then hope you got a little retirement saved up to continue your life as it should.    Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore.   You need to treat your career as if you are the CEO of yourself.  I recommend having a few side hustles to ensure your own financial well-being, especially if you live a healthy life and extend your dash.   If you don't think about yourself,  other people make the decision for you and who knows what that can lead to.  Believe me, living check to check or not living the life you want sucks.   So next time someone is offering to help you or has an opportunity to share, listen, since you never know what it will lead to, including extending your dash.

Finally, the most important of all, how you related to people.

We all live one life and being miserable, self-centered and generally negative, will definitely shorten the dash.   Why, since stress is known to cause health problems and even financial problems.   You see it a lot on social media today, especially Facebook.    A political post here, another controversial post there and everyone is up in arms if there is disagreement.   Avoid the drama and think of the good in people, be happy and positive and you will not be stressed and will enjoy your dash.    I get a kick out of people that complain about where they live.   If you don't like where you live, move!   Or, they complain about a negative person they see at a coffee shop they go to.  Go to a different coffee shop!  At the end of the day, it is all about who you hang with so, stick with people that are positive and are enjoying their dash and you will enjoy your dash too!

It is Holiday Time - Some Tips to Beat Stress and Stay Healthy and Feel Awesome

It is the most merriest time of the year. 

A time for spiked egg nog  
Online Shopping
Sitting in Traffic
Scraping ice off your windshield
Dusting off the snow shovel 
and office holiday potlucks.

Whew!  That is a lot, no wonder people are stressed this time of year!

It is no secret that stress is the leading cause and a lot of times the root cause of health issues in the world.

When it comes to diet and food/beverage of choice, it seems the more stressed you are, the more you reach for the most sugary snack or drink.

Bad diets are one of the leading causes, next to lack of exercise and good sleep, for most of our health issues today.   People get sick and are very reactive toward addressing health issues resorting to pharma products to solve all of their issues.   But that is a topic for another day.

So, how do you beat stress?    Some tips are fairly obvious, but some are somewhat of a surprise.  If you do them all together, you may find out stress is a thing of the past and you don't want to live in the past.

So here we go!

(1)  Exercise three or four times a week, preferably in the morning.

Talk a walk at lunch, go to the gym in the morning and set precedent for a great day.  Personally, I notice myself to be less stressed fighting epic Boston traffic in the morning on the days I work out.   There is no excuse for not exercising.  Make the time!

(2)  Eat the Right Foods and Not in Excess

The Europeans got it right.  There are no such thing as buffets there and their meals are mostly made fresh and in small portions.  The less sugar and dairy, the better.   Bread products make you depressed due to bad carbs.   Eat dark vegetables and lean meat and you will notice your digestion to be better and you will feel more energized for the day.

(3)  If you are tired,  Sleep.   Get your Beauty Rest!

After all, you are a pretty good looking person, so in order to be less stressed, if you are tired, then sleep sufficiently.  Around 7-8 hours a night is ideal.  If you have trouble sleeping, check your diet and don't eat anything one to two hours before you call it a night.

(4)  You have a Brain.   Nurture It!

Just like physical exercise, your brain needs exercise constantly by learning new things.   Read an inspirational book, or a topic that makes you happy and positive.   The most successful people in the world are always learning.   Listen to Tom Brady, the five-time Super Bowl winner, when he is talking to the media.  He mentions that he is always learning.     When you are occupied and learning, you don't have time for drama and stress.

(5) Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is the Present

You can only control the present, so don't stress about what happened yesterday.  It is not going to change things.   Live, think and experience your life now in the present and focus on things you can control.   A classic case is if your sports team lost a game.   What control did you have over your favorite team besides screaming at the top of your lungs at your TV?  Get over it and move on.

If you put all of this tips together you will notice yourself to be less stressed and will enjoy the holiday season and any season for its best.     Stress is the root cause and it is always important to solve the root cause of any issue, especially if it has to do with your health.