There is something about a four-day work week after a Monday holiday that just makes you feel better about everything.
This week was especially “better feeling” for me as I started a new diet on Tuesday which is basically a physical and mental cleansing of sorts. Yes, Tuesday is an odd day to start a diet and a lifestyle change, but very wisely to her credit, Amy (my wife) convinced me that trying to start a new diet before Labor Day weekend was going to be a blatant mistake. So, I wisely listened to her advice and here goes nothing.
Some people think that my job and what I get to do is totally glamorous.
I’m not going to lie; there are parts of it that completely rock and sometimes make me wonder, “What in the hell did I do to deserve this?” These can be things like taking clients to wonderful restaurants for extremely nice dinners, having drinks in some of the coolest bars around the world and getting to be good friends with the dealers you do business with on a daily basis. Occasionally, you luck up and take a client to a great sporting event like a game at Yankee’s stadium, Fenway Park or just a good ole Alabama Football game. Then, there is all the flying. I love to fly. Planes have amazed me ever since I was a little kid, and there is nothing more that I like to see than a sunrise at 30,000 feet or a sunset flying home at the end of a long day, or just flying over middle America and looking at all the rivers and fields that make up our country. Yes, there are parts of what I get to do that are simply amazing.
Then there are the parts of my job that would kill a lot of people.
Landing at midnight after delayed flights only to find there are no rental cars left. Figuring out your Uber driver is so drugged up they cannot even speak, and wondering if you are going to die in the back seat of a Corolla on an interstate. Eating dinner out of a vending machine in a crappy hotel because there is nothing else open and you forgot to eat that day. Having food poisoning from one of the “world class” restaurants mentioned above and having to go to a meeting where you can barely stand and can’t keep down any fluids. Landing in a city for a meeting and turning on your phone only to get an email that a client is firing you. Going halfway across the country to meet someone only for them to start the meeting off with, “This isn’t going to work out.” And, last but not least, waking up at 2 a.m. before you have to get up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight and not being able to go back to sleep. For all the glamour, there sure are some parts that completely suck.
So, why am I “feelin’ better”?
- My new diet is a form of clean living / lean and green. No processed foods, low carbs, portion control, all natural, no oils, no fats, no sugars and no alcohol. The first two days were stunning to my system, but the last two really have me feeling and sleeping better.
- I’ve spent four consecutive days in the office, and they have been rejuvenating. While I’m never in the office for a full week, this week was a blessing because I dealt with some issues that needed to be addressed, got caught up on a ton of projects and burnt up the phones calling clients, prospects, friends, basically anyone who would talk to me.
- My thoughts have caught up with my vision. After my recent time at Harvard it has been a whirlwind. Family trips, business trips, back to school, getting used to four children – my life has been even more chaotic than usual. But this week, while cleansing myself, I thought a lot about things that affect my future, and I feel very good about the direction that things are headed.
Nobody probably ever admits burnout until they are far too burnt to ever recover. While I am nowhere close to being burnt, it is so refreshing to take a step back, cleanse your body and mind and begin to focus on what the next chapter looks like. And, in case you were wondering, my goal with this diet is to lose 20 lbs. Stay tuned for that – more to follow.