Get an education, get a job, work hard and work long hours has been the mantra of mankind for a very long time.

Employees and entrepreneurs are now encouraged to work ever increasing hours and improve productivity through the means of stimulants, prescription medications and supplements.

The evolution of that mantra is now being taken to it’s extremes with certain entrepreneurial figure heads shouting it from the top of their lungs.

Life and business doesn’t have to be this way though and it’s not meant to be this tough. We don’t have to exchange our lives for money, the odd day off, and the once a year vacation.

A man who is a living testament to this is Jon Goodman.

Goodman is first and foremost a family man.

He is a 7-figure business owner.

He has only a handful of employees.

He runs the largest online community for personal trainers on the planet.

He is the leading global authority in online training.

He is a Forbes featured entrepreneur, three-time best selling author and internationally renowned fitness coach.

Most importantly he has has helped tens of thousands of other personal trainers grow their own online businesses without sacrificing his own lifestyle in exchange.

You see Goodman lives differently from the rest of us. He focuses on designing a lifestyle as opposed to increasing profits and chasing the ideology of “more” is better.

Goodman does not work enormous hours.

He has long lunches with both his wife and newborn son every day from 12.30–2 PM.

He does not compromise on sleep, rest or leisure either.

He prioritises his health and eats accordingly.

He never spends winter in the same place and whether it is trekking through Brazil, or exploring the Canadian rockies he is a hard man to track down. Even if you do get through to him you’re likely to receive an email like this.

So how does one live a lifestyle like this? It comes down to choice.

You see, Goodman has chosen to pursue a lifestyle rather than a monetary figure. Most of us though, do the reverse of this with our careers and companies. We always assume that it’s easier to want more and we pursue that idea voraciously.

More money, more growth and more exposure.

We get swept up in the idea that this will create the life we want and in exchange we offer our most precious resource, time. We hustle from 6AM to 12PM, day in and day out until we either burn out or have companies that we don’t know what to do with because we’re told that is what we’re supposed to do.

Goodman said, “It’s sexy to try to create something massive and go for hockey stick growth and many entrepreneurs go for that without thinking whether it’s something that they really want.

Most will be better served to figure out themselves and how they work best, find their place in the business world, and enjoy long-steady growth vs. trying to blow the roof off.”

And Goodman is right.

We often make up an idea in our heads that if we become millionaires we almost certainly will end up with the lifestyle we envisioned. The problem lies in the fact that many of us will compromise our health, relationships and sanity in order to reach a goal that didn’t have any purpose in the first place.

Goodman has helped people from various professions and all walks of life create online personal training businesses that are both sustainable and growable. When Goodman started OnlineTrainer.com he helped his clients not only to become better personal trainers and business owners he has also taught people how to lead a better lifestyle too.

What Goodman has put into practice in his own life and his students lives too teaches us that success is not based on a certain figure in the bank. It’s based on the freedom of choice that a certain amount of money offers.

Working 16 hours a day is not successful it’s ludicrous.

Your career is something that is meant to monetise the lifestyle you want to lead and not the other way around. The strategy of slow and steady wins the race is true. The cumulative 1% efforts all add up over time to create a lifestyle, not a monetary goal and Goodman is living proof of this.

If you want to learn more about online training and the lifestyle Jon Goodman has created you can find him here.

Hustling Isn’t Making You Better It’s Making You Worse was originally published in Thrive Global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Whether we like it or not, the future of work is now. Often when we think about the future of work, we think 3D printing, remote and flexible workplaces, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the thought that we may be eventually evolved out of our jobs. These aren’t dreams or predictions though; they’re a reality. After all, 50% of jobs as we know them will disappear in the not-so-distant future.

Don’t believe me? Take a look here.

While automation and AI are real, what we’re not considering is the human element of work, and how necessary a sense of connection and belonging are.

The problem is that we don’t talk about these differentiators enough.

· The job description isn’t a job description; it is a skills and requirements checklist.

· We advertise perks, not the unique work experience and culture

· Our teams aren’t involved in the hiring process enough (they’ll likely be spending more time with a new hire than their families — they had better get along!)

· We’re reacting to culture instead of being intentional and proactive

· Our stated (Mission, Vision, and Values) experience doesn’t match the realized experience of our employees

So let me put forward this as something to consider: maybe the future of work isn’t just about technology, it is about how we talk about work and integrate our people.

See, we like to think that the Future of work is something that is just happening whether we like it or not. And in some cases (usually tech related), that may be the case.

Consider though, that the way we attract and retain our talent, that the stories we tell, and the organisations we create and thrive in are on our own terms, using our own rules. It isn’t about comparing apples to oranges — credit unions to big banks or small accounting or consulting firms to the big four, it is about being true to the experience we want to build, and doing that on our own terms.

So often I hear that companies are trying to attract Millennials, or females, or more people of colour, without understanding who these people are, what they value, or if there is any alignment with the company at all. The Future of Work isn’t about demographics, it is about alignment, fit, belonging- the things we only talk about now and don’t act on near enough.

I invite you to be different. I invite you to challenge the status quo and shake things up a bit. I invite you to be transparent and not just talk about it.

Where to start?

Well,

· Use video in your application process to better articulate the role and work experience

· Be transparent with the good, bad, and ugly about the company’s culture

· Use an existing employee as an example of what the position would look like

· Have team members the new hire will be working with involved in the interview process

· Assign a small project to prove interest and capabilities

· Implement a Design Thinking session to ‘hack’ company best practices

· Create a ‘day in the life’ overview for the candidate. Talk about inside and outside of work

· Talk about frequency of feedback, reporting, team dynamic, office layout, overtime expectations, remote and flex working options

· Do a culture tour early in the process — let them see the office, meet some people and witness the way they work

· Be transparent about salary, work location and office hours (remote and flexible options) at the beginning of the recruiting process

If we can collectively articulate an describe our organizations as truthfully and openly as possible, then it is true that the future of our workplaces are what we make of them, and we can do better than attracting people; we’ll attract the right people.

I believe in this so much that I am apart of a team of people who have built a free virtual conference with some of the world’s most forward-thinking companies with speakers from Amazon through to Microsoft to discuss what the future of work will look like. Founded by Rocky Ozaki and Eric Termuende the Future Proof Summit is the toolkit for anyone who is looking to change the future of their workplace culture.

The free virtual summit is being hosted across 5 days in October 16th — 20th to inform, educate and grow awareness about the future or work and how you can make an impact in your organisation.

To join the conversation you can register for free here.

The Future of Work was originally published in Thrive Global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Recovery, health and well-being are more than just a prescription and diagnosis.

Modern medicine is reactive.

We see the doctor when we have an acute injury like a broken bone or a rampant bacterial infection which makes sense.

What doesn’t make sense is that we also see the doctor after years of chronic health conditions and issues that come together to create acute incidents of illness or injury.

Up to forty percent of annual deaths in the USA are preventable and similar statistics plague other developed nations. This is due to the growing numbers of chronic disease in our aging population. Here are some examples of these types of diseases and their causes:

• Heart disease risks include tobacco use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, poor diet, overweight, and lack of physical activity.
• Stroke risks include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, overweight, previous stroke, tobacco use, alcohol use, and lack of physical activity.
• Cancer risks include tobacco use, poor diet, lack of physical activity, overweight, sun exposure, certain hormones, alcohol, radiation, certain chemicals, and other substances.

You will notice a trend here. Almost all of these causes are preventable. Our medical system simply isn’t addressing the lifestyle factors and causes of the disease because we wait until we’re sick to do something about it.

When we see our doctor we have fifteen minutes to describe the illness and issues that have impeded our day-to-day activities. What we don’t have time to discuss is the multitude of different warning signs that have led us to this point.

We explain our symptoms and wait for a diagnosis and prescription.

We then leave with a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Our medications only prevent the acute illness at hand and not the factors that got us there in the first place.

A Evolving Approach

What if we flipped the medical model and took a different approach?

What if we looked at how can we keep people healthy?

What if our health professionals gave us advice to prevent us from getting sick in the first place?

What if we went to the doctor, pharmacist, physiotherapist, personal trainer and other health professionals when things were going well instead of when they were going badly?

These are the types of ways that some people are innovating the medical model but not all.

Our culture has promoted a day-to-day lifestyle of sedentary behaviour and ever-increasing work hours. We promote people to react to situations when they arise not to prevent them from happening.

There are some health professionals who are adopting this evolving approach for their patients and customers.

This needs to be the norm and not the exception.

Chin Nan Loh (BPharm) of antidote pharmacies believes that as health professionals we have a larger obligation to do more then provide a band-aid for a much larger issue at hand.

Chin said “When a customer comes into our stores, looking to fill out a prescription for a chronic illness I know nine times out of ten that there is so much more we can do for them.

I know that what they’re eating, how they’re moving and how they’re sleeping all play a significant role in their overall health. Not just the medication I dispense.

The conversation we try to have with our customers are about the other issues outside of their prescription. We know that if we fill their scripts without giving them advice on nutrition, physical activity and their work-life balance we know we’re going to be seeing that same customer with the same script and the same issues in a few weeks.

The struggle we face is we can’t do this on our own. A customer needs the support of multiple health professionals to maintain their well being but our current medical model doesn’t support this system and thinking.”

I agree with Chin. Being a personal trainer a lot of my clients turn up when they’re at a tipping point. Not because they wanted to make changes to their health but because they were forced too.

The current medical model has been a framework for a population that reacted to illness when it arose. Which was appropriate three-hundred years ago but not today.

We need to make a change.

We now live longer with different issues and complications.

We should focus on making sure that our short time on this planet is spent in good health and preventing illness, not reacting to it.

Let’s start innovating the way we approach our health because without change we’re only going to reduce our quality of life, spend more money, and die faster then we need to.

How to be More Proactive About Your Health was originally published in Thrive Global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

There is a theme when you enter the field of high-level entrepreneurship and business. The higher you climb the more attention has to be paid to the body as much as the mind. What is it that makes these top leaders pay attention to their physical prowess?

High-level performers know that their physical health and performance dictates their cognitive and business performance.

As a personal trainer and growth marketing consultant working with dozens of different people I always see those who pay attention to their physical health, almost always seem to outperform those who don’t. This is both in business and outside of it. There are tools though you can leverage today to gain an immediate improvement in your business and health tomorrow.

Sleep, exercise, and mindfulness.

Sleep to Prioritise Productivity

“Exhaustion makes wimps out of all us.” James Loehr

Our day is split into 24 hours, 33% of it should be spent sleeping to allow for optimal levels of performance and output. In business, if a third of your revenue is generated from one action then you wouldn’t want to be cutting corners or decreasing the effectiveness of this process — so why cheat yourself of sleep?

Our body is directly affected by the total hours of sleep we have. We’ve all been through those times where we’ve had less sleep than we need. Lethargy, irritability and attention deficits are just a few of the issues we face due to sleep deprivation.

The news is that it gets worse if you don’t get your sleep sorted, numerous studies show that both your memory and attention are significantly impaired with as little as 6 hours a night. Here are some other symptoms that have been associated with sleep deprivation:

• Weight gain
• Heart disease
• Increased stress
• Hormone imbalance
• Anxiety

If you’re reading this and nodding your head. Stop, reset and make a promise to do this tonight before bed:

1. Sixty minutes prior to sleep eliminate all digital devices, if you’re using your phone as an alarm keep it on the other side of the room, face down to avoid checking it.
2. Have a low glycemic index meal prior to sleep 250 calories or less — low blood sugar prior to sleep is a reason that people will sometimes wake up lethargic or groggy. I personally use 3–4 celery sticks with peanut butter.
3. Do not do anything work or business related one hour prior to sleep.

Exercise and Eat Well to Sustain Energy

“Exercise not only changes your body but changes your mind, your attitude and your mood.” — Joseph Addison

Everybody knows they should exercise to be considered healthy however, a lack of physical activity has been associated with altered brain activity resulting in lethargy and lower productivity.

There is a reason entrepreneurial greats like Arianna Huffington, Tim Ferris, and Tony Robbins all have consistent exercise and diet routines to maintain their physical health. It not only benefits your health in the long run but your business too.

Making the wrong decisions for your business and your health because you can’t spare 20 minutes of activity is a force multiplier for disaster. You’re robbing yourself of greater productivity, which over the next week, month or year can be costly for business and longevity.

A 2002 study indicates that 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise, three times a week has the added benefits of increasing your cognition and neuroplasticity. Get a sweat up and enjoy the added bonus of being fitter and more productive.

The same goes for a bad diet, certain foods cause us to crash resulting in a below par performance cognitively. These three basic eating rules will allow you to maintain consistent energy levels throughout the day and keep your blood cholesterol in check:

• Eat lean protein (chicken, turkey, white fish), vegetables, and legumes a mix of these in as many meals as possible
• Avoid starchy foods (bread, cereal, and anything high in sugar — I try and have less than 10 g of sugar per meal) this will make sure your glycemic index doesn’t go through too many spikes and wreak havoc on your concentration
• Drink water and avoid all drinks that contain more than 5 g of sugar as a rule of thumb (if you’re not sure how much sugar is in something, just ask or look at the label)

Mindfulness and Meditation for Focus

“Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life.” — Tony Robbins

Spending time to bring your thoughts into perspective at least once a day is something that should be practiced in both business and body. Most of the start-up clients I have worked with all have some form of meditation practice.

People often use the excuse they lack time which is often due to the lack of the right priorities. The same can be said for business when you don’t focus on the right things you can spend a lot of time and energy on the wrong details.

Meditate 10 minutes every morning before checking email or any other form of communication. This gives you the ability to reflect on your top priorities that need to be achieved throughout the day. I use the application Headspace which is a form of guided meditation. I follow these three steps as used by Tim Ferriss:

• Meditate for 10–20 minutes
• Write down the two — three biggest priorities in my day
• Write down the biggest issue I have that is causing me the most angst or stress — find the fastest way to resolve this issue

This process saves me time on avoiding the menial tasks that I haven’t prioritised but also comes with the health and business benefits too. A paper published in 2014 found that a review of studies of meditation on cognition suggested a positive effect particularly in the areas of attention, memory, verbal fluency, and cognitive flexibility — a bonus for you and your business.

When looking at these processes you can see that your bodily functions are strongly intertwined with your business. These three key strategies are just as applicable to business as they’re to your health. Take 60 minutes in the day to multiply your productivity and health in the long term.

Be involved in the process and learn what gives you and your body the best outcomes. Your business and body will thank you later.

The Three Tools that Multiply Your Time, Business, and Health was originally published in Thrive Global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.