In November 2010, I wrote a prescient blog post entitled, “The Dangers of Being Home Alone.” My main point was that while I was working from home and technically “alone,” I was rarely alone with my thoughts because I was almost never unplugged, never disconnected. Part of me also felt that working from home alone was not the most productive place to be. However, my introvert self LOVED it because, while I was alone, I wasn’t lonely. It was a year before I decided to stop being home alone, and here’s the surprise realization that my move inspired.
For this first podcast of the new year, I’m going to share with you an interview I did back in the fall of 2011 but saved for now because the timing works so well. Maybe you’re among the millions of people who use the new year as a catalyst to make some sort of resolution about their physical health.
Physical activity is key to our overall health, and my guest today takes that truth even further by sharing with us the mental game that contributes to our health, for better or for worse. He calls it “the athlete within,” and it’s not just about being able to run around the track and not collapse when you’re done… it’s about taking care of yourself, body, mind and spirit, so that you can have energy for all of things that you want to accomplish.
There’s a phenomenon that happens with many fresh water lakes a few times a year called “lake turnover.” Without getting into the details, it’s a process that happens when the surface water reaches a certain temperature and becomes denser and heavier than the water under it. That top layer sinks and displaces the water below it. This results in “new” water coming to the surface, hence, “turnover.” I’ve been noticing that same phenomenon in my own life recently… what is this new energy that’s rising to the top?
How often to do you get an opportunity to step back and reflect on your journey? I accepted an invitation to do just that recently, when a Canadian university student requested an interview for a class she was taking on entrepreneurship. Her long list of questions took some time to complete. I felt like I was tracing the history of my business, recalling turning points and epiphanies.
In the spirit of sharing lessons learned, I’m posting some of my answers here for your consideration. You may not agree with my advice or conclusions, and that’s totally OK. What I love about entrepreneurship is that no one person’s lessons and experiences are the same as another person’s. At the conclusion of the post, I share a few more of the interviewer’s questions, should you want to take time to reflect on your own journey so far (which I highly recommend).
I titled this post “How to Stop Thinking and Start Living” not because I had the answer, but because I was hoping you would.
See, I think too much. I live in my head – typical introvert, I think! 
It’s so bad, I even coined a phrase – while on VACATION, for goodness sakes! – “double-think,” as in, “I need to double-think on that one a bit.”
Really!? Some thoughts on thinking too much…
