Building a Better Business By Building a Better You

The Do It Scared® Podcast with Ruth Soukup provides weekly motivation, inspiration, and practical instruction for anyone tired of settling for “good enough.” Each week we tackle topics like goal-setting, overcoming procrastination, finding the time, energy & know-how for accomplishing our dreams, and overcoming the obstacles that stand in our way. Don’t miss an episode; subscribe here.

When you dedicate yourself fully to something, you make a few sacrifices. That’s just how it works. It’s pretty difficult to be amazing at one thing without allowing yourself to be just okay at others.

 

I’ve spent the past eight years putting all of my time, energy, and thought into my growing business. I’ve been writing books, creating and launching products, building my team, and hustling like crazy to make my big dream a reality.

I got up early, stayed up late, worked in the evenings and on the weekends and on vacation, all because I was so driven to succeed.

And all of that hustle did eventually pay off. It worked. My company is doing great, and I’m super-proud of this amazing thing I’ve been able to grow.

But all of that came at a cost, one that I’m only now starting to deal with.

You see, spending 10 to 14 hours a day sitting in front of a computer isn’t all that great for your body, especially when you’re on a steady diet of Doritos and beer. And I definitely was.

Over the years, I watched my weight steadily creep upwards as I tried to ignore it and pretend it wasn’t a big deal.

But it WAS a big deal.

My weight and body image have been a struggle for a while now. I wasn’t sure that anyone else even noticed those extra 10, then 15, then 30 extra pounds. But I noticed. And it started to affect me in ways that surprised me.

I started pulling back from the world in both life and business. I never wanted to go anywhere. I stopped sharing photos of myself on social media. I hired writers to create content that was more practical and less personal.

I was hiding from the world and also from myself. And as the face of my business, that was beginning to have negative effects on my professional life. I was losing my confidence.

And it all came down to my body image.

They say that if you don’t feel good about how you look on the outside, you don’t feel good on the inside. And it’s absolutely, frighteningly true. Click to Tweet

I’ve been sharing a little about my journey in my weekly newsletter and a little bit on Instagram, but in Episode 11 of the Do It Scared® podcast, I get real about my struggle to lose weight and reveal the four steps that have been helping me during difficult but ultimately fulfilling adventure.

But weight loss is a personal thing, and while I do have some tips about specific methods that worked for me, I’m more into helping you change your thinking so you can create a real plan, stick with it, and become your best you in life and in business.

If you’d like to listen to the whole episode, you can find it on iTunes HERE or on Google Play HERE. (Or just search for “Do It Scared” wherever you prefer to listen!) You can also visit doitscared.com for more notes from this episode. Never miss a new episode by subscribing on iTunes.

FIND YOUR WHY

There’s a question that’s even more difficult to answer than “HOW do I get in shape?” It’s “WHY do I WANT to get in shape?” It’s essential. Without that answer, you don’t really have anything on the line, and you’re far more likely to skip your trip to the gym, snag that last donut, and eventually, just give up on your weight loss quest.

For me, I realized that my weight was adversely affecting my business. But each one of us has a different reason for getting into shape. Maybe you need more energy to be active with your kids. Maybe you’re so concerned that your appearance that you barely go out in public. Or maybe you’d just like to live a longer, happier life. Every time you’re tempted to cheat on your fitness plan, it’s vital to have that one larger purpose in mind.

MAP OUT A PLAN

For me, one of my biggest problems with diets is that they’re all so much WORK when it comes to planning. But this time around, I knew I needed to find something I could keep doing on my busy schedule. So I decided to make a plan. I researched meal delivery programs and settled on one called Bistro MD. I also joined a gym and hired a trainer, but more on that later.

To make my plan, I used my Goal Crushing® worksheet that you can find in the Living Well Planner®. I like this worksheet because it forces me to not only identify the steps I will need to take, but to first claim my target and refine my objective, then to identify my why and think about how I’m actually going to implement my plan. Get the link in the show notes at doitscared.com/episode11.

CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY

As I already mentioned, the second part of my plan was to join a gym and arrange to work with a trainer three times a week. Of course, lots of people have signed up for gym memberships only to ever go once. Maybe twice. So, to motivate myself, I created a lot of accountability: I pre-paid for the biggest gym package I could get so I knew I’d be forced to follow through. And even when I really don’t want to go, I know my trainer is there waiting for me.

But I also put accountability in place in another way. My husband and I made it our big family goal to get mom in shape this year, and knowing they’re all with me has made me all the more determined to succeed. Without accountability, it’s easy to make excuses, get off track, and rationalize our bad decisions. But it’s a lot easier to say no to Doritos when I know that I’m not just letting myself down, I’m disappointing a whole support system.

TAKE ACTION DAILY

You have to choose every single day that you’re going to be in it to win it. Click to Tweet For me, that choice starts with stepping on the scale to weigh myself because I know that when I start measuring where I’m at, I’m less likely to rationalize bad decisions later in the day and I’ll make a bigger effort. Then it’s making the choice to go to the gym or go for a run. Then it’s the choice to keep track of my food in the Lose It app and to follow my meal plan and get more steps.

There are so many daily decisions that have to happen, but the key is taking that action every single day. Do something, however small it might seem, to get you closer to the finish line.

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These are just some of the highlights from this episode, but there is SO much more to hear! You can listen to the entire episode on iTunes HERE or on Google Play HERE. Visit doitscared.com for show notes from this episode, and never miss a new episode by subscribing on iTunes.