At the end of last month, while you worked your five-day week, I meditated in near-complete silence for five days with 90 other people.
Voluntarily.
So far, 2025 has been a very busy, successful, productive (and frankly, sometimes overwhelming) year. I needed a reset to keep my balance and filter out the noise that bombards us every day.
Now, I feel a whole lot better and can tap back into that energy when I need to.
It makes me a better person, father, and restaurant consultant – both less reactive and more aware.
What Sustains Us
We only broke our silence a couple of times, most notably in a 45-minute meeting with a teacher and small groups of four of our fellow retreat members to check in on our experience.
One of the people in my small group – who had come to the retreat because, after 15 years of blissful retirement, she was involved with a significant challenge her 20-year-old grandson was facing – told us, “Meditation is how I survive.”
I thought to myself, “Meditation helps me stay calm and deal with the up and downs of life. Cardio, specifically running, sustains me.”
However challenging a day I may have, I know I’ll feel so much better once I run that I’ll be able to deal with just about anything.
I’m in good company with this. Thirty years ago, I read a book called “The Alexander Complex” by Michael Meyer, about the then six wealthiest businesspeople in the world and the factors behind their common drive and achievements. One of the things they had in common was exercise: either running, walking, cycling, or swimming.
Never Told Anyone to Work More
As an owner of a successful independent restaurant company, you must have that outlet, that one thing you do in your life that keeps you grounded and focused. You also need something to help you stay calm.
You must guard that time in your schedule – treating it like a life-or-death matter.
What we do seldom identifies as easy, especially in today’s market conditions. We may make it look easy because of experience, which can be taken for granted.
The most successful people I work with do not put in 60 hours or more. They only work the time necessary to achieve what they expect and then they still have plenty of time for other important things.
What Is It That Sustains You?
I have spent a lot of effort in my business re-inventing companies so their owners work a “regular” schedule, or less.
I can’t think of one time I have told a client, “Sorry, but you must start working more hours.”
So which part of your life grounds everything else you do? How do you make sure you devote enough time to that? If nothing comes to mind, click reply to this email and I will help you.
