High Blood Pressure Lifestyles
Yesterday I had my first meeting of 2015 with my accountant and friend Bill. You might associate high blood pressure with the client in this scenario but not in this case. These meetings are always a mix of business and pleasure. He’s a great guy and one of the hardest working people I know. This has caused him some health problems recently though and when he was telling me about them I was reminded of another friend and ex colleague who had similar problems: Problems that forced both to take a long hard look at their lives.
These days, ambition, hard work and drive don’t have to drive your blood pressure through the roof
Bill is not only an accountant who has built a thriving practice over the last couple of years, he’s also an extremely active networker and entrepreneur. Over the Christmas break the combined effect of his long hours, poor diet, lack of exercise and sometimes self-induced stress led to him collapsing one evening. Having his house burgled and all the family Christmas presents stolen can’t have helped.
Not surprisingly, high blood pressure was diagnosed as the cause. He was prescribed medication, advised to look at his diet, get more exercise and cut down on his working hours. This is a guy who goes to the gym, plays football and doesn’t smoke by the way. He’s taken the doc’s advice on all that with the exception of the last one – He just will not and cannot take time away from business.
My ex colleague was a project manager in the live events industry. He worked similarly long hours but also had a complicated life outside of work. He had a couple of ex wives, a number of kids in different parts of the country and some family health problems that made his life an almost impossible, relentless juggling act.
The High Blood Pressure Balancing Act
Again, not surprisingly he was diagnosed with silent killer – high blood pressure. In his case he was prescribed more severe medication that further complicated matters. He was advised not to drive for 6 months. With all the running around his work and personal life entailed I really don’t know how he managed at all. Talk about making high blood pressure higher!
Any driven professional or businessperson can run into these problems. Long, irregular hours with fast food meals snatched whenever possible, lack of sleep or time for exercise, a few drinks when there is a little downtime all takes a toll. High blood pressure is not reserved for smokers, the seriously obese or any other stereotype.. When it gets to the stage where it’s threatening your life, surely it must be time to re-evaluate that lifestyle as a whole.
Bill has an exit plan. He’s putting in the hours now while he’s still young. He’s creating residual income streams and putting people in place that can take the controls. Lets hope his health doesn’t suffer more before he gets there.
I know a lot of people now with similar stories. They’ve realised that the new economy offers a far more balanced way to live whilst still enjoying the fruits of their hard work. With driven people it’s not usually the money that’s the problem or the reason they drive themselves so hard.
They do it for the lifestyle but ironically that’s what often suffers. They find they can’t enjoy it or that it saddles them with problems like high blood pressure before the goals are reached. There is another way – we just don’t need to do this anymore.
What If You Could Have Your Cake And Eat It?
Whilst a good diet and exercise regime are crucial for long term health and well being they can be difficult to fit in around a traditional career. Working in the digital economy offers huge advantages to ambitions, hard working people and a good way to dodge problems like high blood pressure.
Of all the people I know who have transitioned from high-powered traditional corporate jobs, recession battered traditional businesses and professions, to the digital world, time freedom is usually the reason they did it.
The simple fact is that running a digital business, by the very nature of how it’s done just doesn’t take the same amount of time. Financially there is no ceiling to what can be earned once the skills are learned and applied.
There is no boss, no commuting, far less expense than a traditional business, no need to be physically present at set times and no geographic constraints on where it can be done.
To learn more about what’s possible in our present time by transitioning to the thriving digital economy click the link below. This will give you the opportunity to subscribe to a series of complimentary videos from health, & fitness advocates and lifestyle freedom coaches Stuart Ross and Jay Kubassek.
Both escaped from life and soul threatening corporate careers some years ago and have been teaching individuals and businesses how to do the same ever since.