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- don't just "push through it"
I woke up one morning and my 2nd worst nightmare came true…
I. WAS. SICK.
Shortness of breath. Headache. Soreness behind my nose.
It was a sinus infection and I couldn’t help but be PISSED.
I don’t get sick often, but when I do, I can’t do anything except BE SICK.
It’s a time waster for me. And sinus infections last for 7-10 days.
Who has that much time to take off?
Fortunately, I beat my sickness in 3 days.
YES… 3 Days.
How, you ask?
The answer isn’t medicine. Or home remedies.
It’s MAMBA MENTALITY!
Just kidding, it’s REST and lots of water.
I told my clients (old & new ones) the situation and halted any movement forward.
My content is all automated, so no concerns on that front.
The only thing that I committed to and didn’t cancel was my Twitter spaces with AlexIsBuilding, which you can listen to here (almost 500 people tuned in).
You’ll hear me struggling to speak throughout the spaces. After this Twitter space ended (at 2am my time), I slept for 20 straight hours. Then, I woke up for 5 hours and slept another 10 hours.
Oh and all this happened from last Wednesday (March 1) to Saturday (March 4).
Look, this week’s newsletter isn’t about how to overcome sickness. So I’ll get to the point.
Being sick made me realize the amount of work I piled up over the past 3 months.
Weekly newsletter. Networking. Twitter spaces. Marketing campaigns. Content strategy, Growing my Client list.The Degen Creator Academy.
Work. Work. Work. Work. AND MORE WORK.
I thought: what happens when I get burnt out?
The answer is NOT to “push through it!”
Too often, people want to “push through it.” Well, have fun doing that and extend feeling sh*tty for 2 more weeks.
You have to stop that hustler’s mentality if you want to build a long-term sustainable business.
The answer is to SCHEDULE BREAKS.
Before being sick, I was on the brink of burning out.
It’s because I didn’t schedule ANY breaks. No walks, no gym time, no lunch.
I just did it when I felt like it.
That’s terrible for your brain and your body.
So I made a radical switch to my schedule this weekend. I started sleeping at 8pm and wake up at 4am now.
This isn’t some Twitter health guru hack to conquer the world.
Whenever life gets tough for me, I make dramatic changes to my life. Waking up at 4am isn't permanent. It’s so I force myself out my normal bad habits and reconfigure by adding good ones.
Everyone on my timeline is screaming to get 1% better everyday. That doesn’t work for me. I work like a bullet train and need to switch rails to make improvements in my life.
Don’t get me wrong 1% better is great for sustainable growth.
But it’s JUST NOT FOR ME.
Why the 4am wake up?
In the past 3 months, I haven’t gotten proper rest. I haven’t eaten at normal times. I haven’t taken mini breaks. I haven’t been consistent at the gym.
All these were super important to me and then I forgot.
The 4am schedule jolts me to pay attention at my schedule. as opposed to just being on autopilot.
Trust me. I hate it but I need to teach myself to take breaks.
With that being said, no 3 T’s this week.
I took a pause to establish a better day to day plan, so this never happens again. EVER.
Use this email as your wake up call. Don’t wait til you’re burnt out or sick to schedule in basic actions like REST, EAT, EXERCISE.
Schedule it now!
Next week, I’ll be BACK & WAY BETTER.
Til Tuesday Degens!
Viviek - The Degen Creator
P.S. I told you last week I had a surprise for you. It’s def coming next week.
P.P.S. I didn’t do last week’s experiment of 1 Linkedin post per day. So I start today!