True self-care
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What is self-care? Is it spa days, weekends away, bubble baths and chocolate? Or is there more to it?
For us True-selfcare is building a life you don't have to escape from. That is the whole purpose. Building, creating a life that you are excited for, you don't want to fall asleep at night because you are having too much fun! This is the opposite of looking forward to the weekend or the Sunday night blues where you are just trying to get away from your life. Stop trying to escape and start building a life you actually want to live in. |
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Energy
It takes energy and drive and action to create the life of your dreams. One of Alan's core beliefs is that you can have anything you want in life if you are willing to pay the price. When Alan says this most people think he means money. Get the money and you can buy anything but that is not what he means. The price for most things is energy, time commitment and more.
If you want to build a business it doesn't take money (it can), it takes time, drive, willingness to be rejected and get outside your comfort zone. It takes time away from your family (unless you build it together), it takes bravery, it takes focus. Those are the costs of building a business. If you believe it takes money to make money and build a business then listen to this episode of the Rebel Entrepreneur podcast: 5 ways to build a business without money
True self care is building a life you want to live. It takes energy, time, creativity and drive to do this. Then let's start there. Let's look at your energy.
If you want to build a business it doesn't take money (it can), it takes time, drive, willingness to be rejected and get outside your comfort zone. It takes time away from your family (unless you build it together), it takes bravery, it takes focus. Those are the costs of building a business. If you believe it takes money to make money and build a business then listen to this episode of the Rebel Entrepreneur podcast: 5 ways to build a business without money
True self care is building a life you want to live. It takes energy, time, creativity and drive to do this. Then let's start there. Let's look at your energy.
For years I have run the Rebel Business School and people come to me and say they don't have time to start a business and I ask them to describe their day. They have full days with lots of things in it, they are SUPER busy but there is always a point in the day when they run out of energy and doom scroll on Instagram or twitter or turn on Netflix and vegetate Infront of the television. it is not the TIME they lack it is the ENERGY to put into the time.
Check your screen time on your phone. How long do you spend a day on your phone? Could you invest that time into building energy, building the life of your dreams instead? What are you willing to give up to get the life you want. Sometimes the cost of the life of your dreams is not a cost but rather a sacrifice. Are you willing to sacrifice Netflix, Instagram and time scrolling on social media for the life you want? What are you wiling to give up?
Check your screen time on your phone. How long do you spend a day on your phone? Could you invest that time into building energy, building the life of your dreams instead? What are you willing to give up to get the life you want. Sometimes the cost of the life of your dreams is not a cost but rather a sacrifice. Are you willing to sacrifice Netflix, Instagram and time scrolling on social media for the life you want? What are you wiling to give up?
Building the foundations
Alan & Simon have spent a decade coaching people to build businesses, change their lives and overcome their problems. In the last few years it has become apparent to Alan that the people in the biggest pickle in terms of health, mental health and the most stuck struggle with sleep, diet and exercise.
It is incredible how many people that I speak to aren't clear on their ideas struggle to focus and make decisions and then email me at 2am in the morning and tell me they struggle to sleep. I believe their is a direct correlation between mental health and ability to make progress with the quality of your sleep.
If you are sleeping week, eating right and moving your body then how do you expect your body to provide you the energy you need to live the life you want to live?
This week's course is ALL about looking after yourself. Setting yourself up for maximum energy, mental health and happiness. Creating space in your life for calm and clear thinking. The three key basics we started the course with are, food, exercise or movement and sleep!
It is incredible how many people that I speak to aren't clear on their ideas struggle to focus and make decisions and then email me at 2am in the morning and tell me they struggle to sleep. I believe their is a direct correlation between mental health and ability to make progress with the quality of your sleep.
If you are sleeping week, eating right and moving your body then how do you expect your body to provide you the energy you need to live the life you want to live?
This week's course is ALL about looking after yourself. Setting yourself up for maximum energy, mental health and happiness. Creating space in your life for calm and clear thinking. The three key basics we started the course with are, food, exercise or movement and sleep!
DisclaimerSimon, Alan and Katie are not doctors nor do we play one on the internet. We are not professionally trained in this stuff. This is what we have learnt over the years and works for us. If you have health issues or mental health issues please see a professional and ask for help.
There is lots you can do your self to improve diet, sleep and movement but that is no substitute for professional advice. |
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Food / diet
How do you feel after a giant meal? You eat a big Sunday roast, you eat a giant pizza, you pig out? Do you feel more alive or less alive? or do you spend the afternoon napping whilst your body deals with what you have just fed it?
What you eat and how you eat directly affects your energy and your physical body. When Alan and Katie use the word diet people (rightly so) have an allergic reaction to the word saying diet don't work (which they don't!). The key thing here is the original meaning of the word diet.
Diet - Noun
food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: The ad shows milk and dairy as a wholesome part of our daily diet.
Your diet is what you eat. It isn't something you do for a month before you go to Mallorca on holiday to get into your bikini or tight swim shorts. It is how you eat, what you put into your body, how you fuel yourself.
The question is does what you are eating give you more energy or less. Some of the people that I know that eat the MOST food have the least energy to live life.
What you eat and how you eat directly affects your energy and your physical body. When Alan and Katie use the word diet people (rightly so) have an allergic reaction to the word saying diet don't work (which they don't!). The key thing here is the original meaning of the word diet.
Diet - Noun
food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: The ad shows milk and dairy as a wholesome part of our daily diet.
Your diet is what you eat. It isn't something you do for a month before you go to Mallorca on holiday to get into your bikini or tight swim shorts. It is how you eat, what you put into your body, how you fuel yourself.
The question is does what you are eating give you more energy or less. Some of the people that I know that eat the MOST food have the least energy to live life.
Our top recommendations in this area of life are:
- Keep a food diary and notice what affect foods have on you. After you eat food X you feel full of energy for an hour and then want to sleep. Or after eating food Y you are awake and focused for hours.
- Keep asking the question, what gives me energy sustainably and what takes away my energy. There is no point having a red bull and then crashing 90 minutes later for 2 hours.
- When you are deciding what to eat ask the question "Will this clog me or cleanse me?" For example: will a pizza clog or cleanse you? Will a salad clog or cleanse you?
- Avoid processed foods. Not much else to say with this one
- Eat mostly vegetables - in most western societies the vegetables are sides and the meat is the main focus. Try reversing this and making the vegetables the star of the mean. Whole foods simply cooked; eat mostly vegetables.
Sleep
The quality of your sleep determines the quality of your life. If you aren't sleep well your body doesn't have the time it needs to re-charge, reset and rejuvenate. Sleep is essential. After a good nights sleep we feel ready to conquer the world, after a bad nights sleep it is hard getting out from under the covers.
What are you doing to improve your sleep?
Read Alan's article on What get's measured gets improved. We measure our sleep each night using a Fitbit to work out if we are sleeping well and work to improve the quality of our sleep.
What are you doing to improve your sleep?
Read Alan's article on What get's measured gets improved. We measure our sleep each night using a Fitbit to work out if we are sleeping well and work to improve the quality of our sleep.
These are our top sleep tips:
- Cover up the LED lights in your sleep space, cover the alarm clock light, cover the toothbrush flashing light, cover everything. When we stay in a hotel I go round covering every light with a pair of pants to help us get better sleep!
- No caffeine after lunch. Caffeine has a half life of about 5 hours which means half of it is still in your system after 5 hours. If you are drinking coffee after lunch time this is going to still be in your system when you go to bed and affecting your sleep. I LOVE coffee too but I value my health more. I am optimising for sleep, health and long term energy.
- De-Clutter your bed room. Having piles of books, clutter, stuff undone in your sleep space affects your mental health and your sleep. You mind will still be trying to process those things that are undone rather than relaxing and rejuvenating. Clear the clutter and look after your sleep
- No screens before bed time! For an hour before bed turn off the screens, stop watching television and maybe read, talk to the one you love or meditate. Screens affect our sleep so just don't do them before bed.
- Notepad by the bed. Don't use your phone to get thoughts out of your head, the bright screen will wake you up and you might be tempted to check messages or scroll and it will wake you up and destroy your sleep! Get everything out of your head using pen and paper; it will be there for you in the morning and then focus on good quality sleep
- Consistent bed time - staying up late, getting up early irregularly leaves us feeling jet lagged. The cost of a late night out is the next 1 or 2 days of energy. Keeping a consistent (or as much as you can) bed time will help with longevity and energy. The opposite of this is sleeping horrendously in the week whilst working and then saving up all your sleep for the weekend!
- Eat early - Alan has noticed from tracking his sleep that it makes a HUGE difference what time he eats. if he eats early at 5pm and then has a walk afterwards his sleep is SO MUCH better. If he eats late at 8pm or later and goes to sleep with a full stomach his sleep is FAR worse. Eat early, walk afterwards and your body will be rejuvenating rather than digesting as you sleep!
Movement
This section coming soon........
Be a 1%-er
You might think you have to make big, grand gestures when it comes to making changes to your health, your relationships or your finances. The person who's completely sedentary and hasn't moved much in years thinks they have to start going to the gym for an hour every day.
It doesn't have to be this way! Look for small improvements you can make to your life. Small, daily 1% improvements compounded over time result in massive changes over the months and years. How might you make a 1% improvement to your food, your movement and exercise or your sleep TODAY?
It doesn't have to be this way! Look for small improvements you can make to your life. Small, daily 1% improvements compounded over time result in massive changes over the months and years. How might you make a 1% improvement to your food, your movement and exercise or your sleep TODAY?
Progress is never linear. Our human brains struggle to grasp this! We think putting in one unit of effort will result in one unit of improvement and putting in ten units of effort will result in ten units of improvement. But it doesn't work like this! Sorry! Repeat after me "It's not linear! It's not linear!".
Most people are discouraged when they make changes because they don't see any results initially and they give up. 14th January is called International Quitters day because that's when most people have given up their New Year's Resolutions. Just two weeks into the year!
Most people are discouraged when they make changes because they don't see any results initially and they give up. 14th January is called International Quitters day because that's when most people have given up their New Year's Resolutions. Just two weeks into the year!
The results are coming if you are consistent! You have to stick with it and know that the results are coming. That's why you have to fall in love with the process. Enjoy eating healthily, enjoy moving your body, enjoy working on your finances, enjoy learning and improving in your career because, I'm sorry to say, you probably won't see any changes initially. Know that the results are coming and that….. IT'S NOT LINEAR!
The overall trend or the overall direction you're going in is important. Some days you won't see any improvements, some days you might feel like you were a little worse than yesterday. That's ok! Just make sure the trend is positive over time. That's why measuring is important. What gets measured gets improved. That means the very act of measuring something will result in changes. You'll start to make a game out of it and see how you can influence the results. Maybe you'll measure your body fat percentage, maybe you'll measure how much money you spend each month or how much money you have each month (your net worth) or how much energy you feel you have each day. What are you going to measure?
The overall trend or the overall direction you're going in is important. Some days you won't see any improvements, some days you might feel like you were a little worse than yesterday. That's ok! Just make sure the trend is positive over time. That's why measuring is important. What gets measured gets improved. That means the very act of measuring something will result in changes. You'll start to make a game out of it and see how you can influence the results. Maybe you'll measure your body fat percentage, maybe you'll measure how much money you spend each month or how much money you have each month (your net worth) or how much energy you feel you have each day. What are you going to measure?
Say you're currently at a 1 in your life. If you were to put a numerical value on where you are right now and it's a 1. If you make a 1% improvement to your life every day for 10 years, you would end up at SIX QUADRILLION! WOW
What 1% improvements are you going to make to your life this week?
What 1% improvements are you going to make to your life this week?
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Homework
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This leads us nicely onto the homework for week 4!
1. Watch Simon's Ted Talk where he talks about his journey around mental health and how he discovered he has a head full of bees. 2. Make three 1% changes to improve your life and look after yourself this week 3. Post the evidence in the Facebook group |
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Thank you
Thank you for being on this course with us, learning alongside us and spending your time with us. We appreciate you and we're excited for week 5!
