Work Isn’t Worth A Heart Attack

Work is a convenient excuse for not taking care of yourself. Not exercising, poor diet, and stress are a bad combination. You’ve got to make time for you. Work will always be there when you get back.

In 2015, I had a heart attack. A second heart attack. Yep. Two. The first one in 2013 sucked but it was my fault. Crappy diet. Poor exercise habits. Not managing stress well.

I lost a lot of weight. Dropped my cholesterol. Modified stress responses. I was feeling great. I had conquered the cardiac event.

Wrong.

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Heart attack #2 was a nasty little bugger. Hit me on a flight to Salt Lake City. I was headed out to teach my Leadership Maxims class. It ended up being the first class I’ve missed teaching in 12 years of running this business. It wasn’t fair. I was in shape. I was eating well. I was managing stress. Kind of.

I threw a chunk of plaque and it blocked my obtuse marginal artery. Ended up with a third stent. Missed teaching the class (although my client was unsurprisingly understanding of my dilemma). I quit caffeine after that one. That was painful but green tea isn’t a bad substitute.

Where am I going with all this?

It’s easy to fall out of good habits.

Of late, I’ve had a string of busy weeks. I’ve had some personal events change my routine. Through all of it, I’ve (generally) kept to my diet but my exercise regimen has fallen off. I’ve gained a few pounds. I’m not happy about it. Every day I think about exercising again but then that little voice pops up.

“Why bother? You’re just going to get on a plane again in a couple of days and it’ll be hard to start a routine again. Just start again after this next set of trips.”

I’ve succumbed to that temptation. The elliptical machine has gathered some dust. My waist has gathered some diameter.

Work is a convenient excuse for not taking care of yourself. It can be all-consuming. It’s easy to make excuses and before you know it, life has taken over. But if you want to be an effective leader, you’ve got to step up and work past the excuses.

The benefits of the changes I made after the first heart attack were huge. I weighed about 215. I learnt after the fact that my cholesterol was 266. I got winded after lifting only my fifth slice of pizza.

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After a year of making changes to diet and exercise, I was much better. My cholesterol was down 65% from pre-cardiac event levels. I dropped 15 pounds. I felt much better. I slept better. I could see my toes without bending over.

Some of you might be looking at the changes and saying:

“That’s impossible. I don’t have the time or the energy to change my routine. My diet is too hard to change because I travel/work. I can’t fit time for exercise. It’s just too hard.”

It’s not.

Start today

Order the salmon instead of the burger. One meal. Buy some yogurt or baked chips or almonds or pistachios instead of chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, and Doritos.

Opt for a healthier diet.

Go for a walk. And then another. And turn that into a jog one day. Even then, there are no guarantees.

When I had my second heart attack, it was in the terminal at Salt Lake City Airport. I was thrilled with what I was about to go through. That moment could have been a huge deterrent to future efforts. I could have easily said, “Why bother? Even after all those changes, I’m still on a frickin’ gurney. What’s the point?”

But I didn’t. I kept at it. You should get to it and keep at it too.

You have to start somewhere

I’ve been inspired to hear the stories of a few of you who have made changes because you saw what happened to me. I met with a client the other day and he told me since making his Mike-inspired changes he has dropped 18 pounds. Eighteen. He said it wasn’t that hard to do. No major lifestyle changes. And I’ve had many people share their own success stories beyond his. I feel like I’ve had a positive impact on the world. Maybe I’ve even saved someone’s life without realising it.

Look, I plan on being around for a long time. I have a lot of living left to do. I’ve made this a way of life and I’ve seen the benefits. I won’t fall out of these habits and use “work” as an excuse.

I’m incredibly grateful for all the people around me who have supported me and encouraged me along the way. People who have given me a kick in the ass when I was whiny about working out. People who care about my well-being. I’m lucky to have people like that around.

Your call to action

If you’re one of those people who are already making changes, keep at it! It’s worth it and you can do it! If you need some inspiration, let me know. I’d love to cheer you on! Share your success in the comments below. You’ll be amazed by all the other people who want to congratulate you and cheer you on, too!

If you haven’t made changes and you need to, I ask – what’s stopping you? The only thing I can think of that’s holding you back is you. Start today. People like having you around too. I sure do.

Work isn’t worth a heart attack. Make time for you.

Speaking of which, I’m going to go work out…