Neglecting your health could cost you your business

Here's to putting yourself first.

There are a few foundational pieces that really ought to be in place before you jump into business or a new project. One really big one is your health.

I know the struggle. I have had to process some pretty deep trauma in my life, and because mental and emotional trauma almost always manifests physically, I have also had to heal my body of chronic illness. This is an ongoing effort, so you don’t need to have everything perfect before you launch your business. At the bare minimum, have an awareness about what is wrong, what needs attention, and how to best support your body through that healing process so you don’t lose momentum in other areas of life.

My illness is called Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), which is relatively unknown, and yet also relatively common: a genetic predisposition to being unable to clear out biotoxins (think mold, tick and spider bites, red tide, etc.) when one encounters those biotoxins. One in four have the genes for this condition, and considering how many buildings have water damage (at least 50% in the United States) that means a lot of people could be silently suffering with what appears to be chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or other autoimmune illnesses and not even realize that what they suffer from is treatable.

I talk ad nauseum about CIRS because it’s so unknown and it could help a lot of people heal if they just had the knowledge it exists. That said, I won’t spend a ton of time on it here but you can check out my online community over at TheCIRSGroup.com for more information. Feel free to reply/comment with any questions you have.

A very brief version of my health journey as it pertains to my professional life goes like this: GI issues, brain fog, and fatigue for at least a decade, received CIRS diagnosis in April 2022, started treatment in July of that year, and an amazing coaching opportunity (one major client that turned into 150+ clients) that August. I would not have had the energy or focus necessary for that amazing opportunity if I hadn’t already started treatment. I am forever thankful for how the timing worked out, so I always encourage my clients to prioritize their health: hazy brain fog should not be anyone’s norm. Joint pain should not be an accepted part of your morning routine. Weight gain is not just a factor of getting older. There’s something underlying that could be causing these obstacles to grow and get worse over time, and optimal health should be everyone’s goal at any age.

I see a lot of people fighting through chronic illness, especially if it is “low grade” or somewhat easy to ignore. Demand better for yourself: always look for the root cause. You don’t need to optimize every aspect of your life, but getting on a good, consistent sleep schedule can do wonders. Drink enough water, cut or lower the sugars, sweeteners, and caffeine. Eat the foods that make you feel your best: for me, that’s mostly meat. For you, it might be whole, unprocessed foods. There is no universally correct answer to this: you know you best, and if you’re honest with yourself and really tune into how you feel, you’ll be able to find a way of eating, sleeping, and taking care of you that is not only sustainable, but supports your ongoing success both personally and professionally. Nothing is an island when it comes to your progress and wellbeing - you cannot ignore your health and go all in on business. It won’t work - you will burn out and your body will force your focus back to itself in a potentially dramatic and painful way. Give it the time it deserves now, and it will help all your other efforts in the long run.

I run both business and fitness themed accountability calls for the Tom Woods School of Life. If you’re interested in working with me and you’re a big fan of liberty and freedom, I encourage you to join: The school is open for enrollment now. Hope to see you there.