Many have the idea that successful businessmen eat, sleep, and breathe their work. I can see more than a grain of truth in this, after all successful athletes eat, sleep, and breath their sports. In both cases there is a common element of intensity of focus. However athletes have an edge: their success also depends upon their physical power. To have that sort of power you have to maintain the engine, and this motors them through challenges foreseen and unforeseen. Yes, the busier the businessman the less likely he has time for the gym, but that’s forgetting the Olympian within. Without that Olympian there are fewer or no gold medals in the future.

Now drop and give me twenty.

Just kidding but here I’ll drop a list of ten things that will help you keep your momentum up when life’s trials start wearing you down.
(From Forbes Magazine, “How to Run on Fumes” by Maureen Farrell 09/01/2009)

1. Eat Right: “Try to consume around three or four meals a day and two snacks. Avoid sugary drinks, candy or any other glucose boosters: What goes up must come down–and you’ll come down even harder if you’re already overtired” – Jim Loehr, chief executive of Human Performance Institute.
2. Force Yourself to Exercise: “Sixteen-hour days don’t leave a lot of time for the treadmill, yet vigorous exercise is precisely what the overworked and stressed-out need,” says Loehr. “When people are going through a really difficult time, [exercise] helps them clear the emotional channel.” Weightlifting and cardio exercise both work. If you’re ill, physical activity at a lower level will help you beat it.
3. Make the Sleep You Get Count: Those who exercise need less sleep–and they sleep more deeply when they do. When down time is precious, cut down on the coffee and drink no more than two alcoholic beverages a night; caffeine and booze impede sleep.
4. Take Breaks: “Even if it’s just a walk around the office, it’s important to chill out every two hours or so,” says Loehr. “Changing gears, even briefly, keeps your stamina up. Deep breathing helps too.”
5. Budget Your Worry Time: “Whenever you’re bothered by intrusive thoughts, remind yourself that you can worry during worry time,” says Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, Calif., and professor at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute. Lieberman suggests carving out the last five minutes of every hour to wrestle with your problems. That way, you’ll know you’re giving them the consistent attention they deserve, while at the same time not letting them crowd out time you need for all of your other tasks.
6. Keep a Gratitude Journal: Yes it sounds hokey. But try it. Either right before falling asleep or shortly after waking up, write down at least three things that you’re grateful for. Tough it out. The perspective is invaluable.
7. Find a Touchstone: That’s what Deborah Collins Stephens, media consultant and author of This Is Not the Life I Ordered, did when her husband was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis during the biggest project of her career. “You need to train your mind not to go to the worst possible place,” says Stephens. Her first touchstone was a book by Holocaust survivor and psychologist Victor Frankl. She read it at every spare moment during her husband’s illness. She says: “I just kept thinking, ‘If a person could survive that, I can survive this.’”
8. Maintain Your Routine: Mundane household tasks–like dusting and washing dishes–helped author Susan McBride cope in the aftermath of two surgeries and six months of radiation treatment for breast cancer.
9. Talk it Out: No matter how strong you think you should be, never shoulder stress and sadness alone, advises McBride. You’ll be surprised how many willing shoulders there are to lean on. When McBride’s doctor told her that she had Stage 2A breast cancer, she had two looming deadlines for book deals one with Harper Collins and the other with Avon. While she had plenty of support from her husband, family and close friends, she met other writers who were cancer survivors, and they really kept her going.
10. As A Last Resort – Some Caffeine: If you’re really desperate for a boost in the 11th hour, stick with coffee or tea rather than soda and energy drinks, which come with a sugar slump, says Helen Pak, registered dietitian with Bay Area Nutrition in Campbell, Calif. Caffeine will work best if you’re not used to it, so try to lay off the java throughout the day. Also, avoid over-the-counter “alertness aids” like NoDoz and Vivarin, which are just loaded with caffeine. While not addictive, “those pills can be counterproductive, since they make you jittery and decrease your concentration and ability to focus,” says Pak.