I was out for a brisk walk just last week, a walk that I take a couple times each day. One of my neighbors caught sight of me from about a half a block away. As I approached him, I could tell that he was waiting for me. He was waiting so he could deliver his moderately funny dad joke. “Aren’t you supposed to have a dog or something?”, he asked. I chuckled, then replied, “No, it’s just me. I am walking myself.” I did think that was moderately funny.
That little encounter reminded me of a story that comedian Owen Benjamin has shared. Years ago, Owen traveled with his dog for an airline promotion. During those travels, Owen would invest significant time and money to ensure that his dog had only the finest organic dog food while Owen fed himself junk such as Doritos and beer.
It’s readily apparent and well documented that walking your dog provides significant benefits to you and your dog. However, if you don’t have a dog or if someone else walks your dog, do you still walk yourself? Silly question? Not really. Do you feed your dog the best food you can find in controlled quantities for the dog’s health, fitness, vitality, and longevity? Of course you do, because you are a good steward of your dog’s health and well-being.
On the other hand, do you miss workouts, eat poorly, get stressed out, and stay sedentary for far too much of the day because of life’s demands on your time? Most likely the answer is yes. Maybe you have forgotten why you work so hard. If so, you may need to be a better steward of your health, fitness, vitality, and longevity. It doesn’t take much time and you don’t have any assets that matter more. It will make you more efficient, effective, and joyful.
Invest in your health. Doing so will make you a better parent, spouse, employee, executive, and leader.