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Episode 18 – Secrets to Success and Health
“If we are creating ourselves all the time, then it is never too late to begin creating the bodies we want instead of the ones we mistakenly assume we are stuck with.”
― Deepak Chopra
Research shows that there is a direct correlation between our health and our success. When I talk about health I am talking about the physical, psychological, that emotional piece and financial health. As many of you may or may not know, I have a degree in nursing and health has played a very important aspect in my life. I have been there when a baby has taken their first breath and I’ve held the hand of someone who is taken their last. I want to impress upon you the importance of how your health impacts your success. Take a moment to think about the people you would identify a successful. What type of person are they? What do they have that makes you believe that there successful? Do they look after their health? I am focused on the physical, psychological, and financial health.
Physical Health
I can talk about this topic for days but I’ll make sure that we streamline and for the purposes of this podcast. It has been demonstrated that people who were physically fit tend to eat better, have better habits, and they missed fewer days of work because they’ve developed a high resistance to illness because their immunity is strong. Physical fitness provides many benefits and it is more than looking good in the mirror. I once read an article about how our brain functions during exercise and as soon as we’re done exercising the blood flow shift to the front of the brain where we are better able to focus and concentrate. So if you have something that requires your focus and attention you may want to go for a brisk walk before or run or some form of physical activity before you jump in to your work. People who are active fit tend to be more accepting and tolerant of themselves and others. They are productive and better problem solvers. They retain information better than those who are not active. They expressed having low levels of stress and fatigue.
When I talk about being physically active, it’s about choosing to do activities that you enjoy. They may be done individually or as part of a team. It is recommended that everyone participates in some form of physical activity per 30 to 60 min. a day. I encourage many of the clients that I work with to keep their running shoes in their car so that they could fit in a brisk walk in between clients. It is important to take care of yourself so that you can serve others with your mission and your message. Without your health, you will be unable to achieve the level of success that you desire. If you require accountability, enroll a friend to get active with you or hire a personal trainer. Learn what it takes to be in your top shape. Don’t let your health slip with long hours and poor eating habits. Skipping exercising and grabbing a doughnut will not serve you.
I grew up on a farm and I used to carry 5-gallon pails to help my parents with the chores. I develop a strong upper body. My swim instructors used to tell me that I had a very strong upper body they need to do to work on my legs. When I was first introduced to working out or going to a gym, I was an able to do 10 pounds on a weight machine. I started small. I started with using my own body weight and built up to it. I can proudly say that I can do close to 70-75 pounds. I now enjoy kettlebells, TRX, and competing in triathlons. You can to and one of the easiest forms may be by just going for a walk.
Build exercise as a habit into your day and if possible do it in the morning so that you get it out of the way and you don’t find reasons not to do it. Develop the self-discipline to go after your fitness health as much as you do in other areas because how you do something is how you end up doing everything.
Sleep and Hydration
Ensure that you are hydrated and that you are getting enough sleep.
I used to have a phrase that I used to say, “I will sleep when I’m dead”. If you overwork yourself and don’t take care of yourself that day may come sooner than you think. Plan to get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night if possible. Develop a routine before you go to bed. Turn off the TV and electronics at least 30 min. before going to sleep so that you can calm down your mind. You will have a sharper mind and think much clearer about the decisions that you have to make on a regular basis.
Financial Health
One of the greatest sources of stress in society today and in marital relationships is financial health and usually, the lack of. When your finances are in order, everything around you seems more manageable. When your finances are out of order, there is an increase in stress, tension, and relationships, increase in illness such as heart disease and high blood pressure, and you may be short-tempered. There is a greater risk for misunderstandings and saying things that you don’t mean.
Learn how to manage her money and set a budget. Knowing the amount of money you 
have coming in and going out makes a big difference. You will be better able to make decisions about your finances and what you can and cannot do. Save for what you want. Instant gratification is not always the answer. There are many people who have clothes in their closet that still have a price tag on and have never been worn. Balance your cheque book and check your numbers daily if you can otherwise weekly and monthly. Assess what is working, what is not working, and what you can do to improve. You will start noticing the little things that you can be doing to make a big difference. It could be that you skip the latte or take a lunch with you in the car. De-clutter your home and sell things that are no longer of use to you. You will start to notice that as you relieve this weight on your shoulders that you will have the opportunity to think more clearly and see the possibilities around you.
We all face challenges in life some of these challenges are more demanding than others. It all depends on how we choose to either respond or react to the situation that affects their outcomes. In the past, research has shown that success is what makes people happy, but in recent studies according to the American Psychological Association, it is happy people who set goals, find the resources, and surround themselves with happy people who achieve success.
Success is a Mindset
Success is truly a mindset. It is who you are and what you choose to become. Commit to
lifelong learning. Learn new skills and develop your abilities. Learn to be mindful and be present in the moment. Be grateful for everything that you have and soon enough you will have more to be grateful for. When it comes to psychological and emotional strain, it often comes from misunderstandings and mindset. People will come from a place of judgment or who have fixed mindset are not open to learning perspectives of other people and their way is the only way. They are in a constant debate trying to defend their viewpoint. They react to situations versus response causing great tension. I encourage you to develop a learner mindset one in which is open to learning different perspectives, flexible and adaptable to new situations and sees feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow. By choosing to be a lifelong learner about the world around you, you will have less stress and be able to live more in the moment. Leave the past behind you for you cannot change the events. Learn to forgive yourself and others. For people who know better, do better and if they have learned from it let it go.
Start disciplining yourself and focusing on what it is you want to achieve. Make a commitment to yourself today that you will start looking after your health to ensure your success – a success that you will be around to enjoy.
“I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.”
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com
Time: 13:35 min
Set Meaningful Goals. Many people out there don’t set goals. Only the top to 3% of people, set goals on a regular basis. When you set goals for yourself, you want to use the SMART goal method which is: S – Specific, M- Measurable, A- Achievable, R- Realistic, and T for Timely. When you use this, what you trying to do is be specific, what is it that you want to achieve, what you want to achieve and by when the timestamp because without that it becomes a wish; it becomes a dream. It something that you’re not actually working toward so we will be able to measure it; give it a timestamp as to when you might want to do this by. It’s commitment. The next one is achievable. Is this achievable within the time frame that you are trying to do this? Is this something you can actually do? Is this realistic? Is it something you can do within the time frame you provided for yourself?R is for realistic. People say why not lose weight in 24 hours. As you can see that’s not very realistic unless you’ve undergone some type of surgery. It’s about thinking about if it is realistic in the time frame. Maybe you need to adjust your time frame or test it out and then re-adjust- it happens. Timely, we want to be able to measure it. We want to go back to the time date stamp as to when you’re going to achieve it. Some people set goals that you cannot actually measure it’s not something they can measure per se.What I like to recommend is using a rating scale of 0 to 10, 0 (lowest point) is about how you’re feeling about a subject and 10 is that you are at the top of your game. Let’s say you are at a 5/10, and then you decide what actions you are going to take to go from a 5 to a 7/10 two weeks from now. Thinking about those strategies and what you need to have in place and who you need to connect with. These are how we say to breakdown and chunk down your goals. You have to really stop and think about all the things that can help you get to where you want to go. Work backward, so if you know where you’re going in the time frame, what are the steps you need to take? Break it down into smaller pieces thinking about the resources, how much time you need to a lot to it, and how much money might need to go into it. What are the resources? What is your grit power? What is the work that you need to put in to get this done? Maybe you are going to achieve it earlier and need to set a new goal to up your game or you might need to adjust some of the strategies.
