7 Things I Learned From The Flu

My daughter and I – along with the better part of the 573 area code – have had the flu.

Boo.

But, there’s a bright side! It reminded me how important these seven things are to your life and your business:

1. Hydration – I know I normally don’t drink nearly enough. How about you? Do you drink eight glasses of water a day? Do you stay away from soda? It’s amazing how much proper hydration helps your focus and your energy levels.

2. Rest – I slept the better part of Monday and Tuesday because my body made me. It’s amazing how much proper rest helps your focus and your energy levels.

3. Brevity – Because I still had to do a certain amount of communication when I sooooo didn’t feel like it, I worked as hard as I could to keep things to a minimum. I tried to follow a twitter rule of 140 characters or less in my emails and texts. I think it made my writing better because…

4. Clarity – I got to the point every time. I needed people to understand what I was trying to communicate without having to repeat or restate myself so I could get back under the covers.

5. Empathy – We never really know what others are going through, do we? We’re so focused on ourselves we can’t see past our own needs and agenda. It’s important to be mindful of what others may be enduring or need – at all times. It’s important to maintain great relationships to foster understanding when things like rescheduling three days worth of meetings has to happen.

6. Strong Support Team – I’m so thankful to have Dee and Lynn and Ryan to help shift things around and spend hours changing around hotel rooms and meeting spaces and client times. It’s humbling and awesome when people you care about step up and try to help. My team could so beat up your team.

7. Margin – Most importantly, we aren’t behind on anything as a company. Those same awesome people in #6 have been working like crazy to make sure we’re proactive with our clients. That way, we can account for unfortunate yuckies and nasties.

None of us want to be sick, but if you’re mindful of my 7 tips, you’ll be better prepared next time you’re stuck in bed. If you find yourself stuck there, I hope you have a great snuggle buddy, too, and I hope you remember that The West Wing is now on Netflix Instant!