Protect the Asset

I first heard this term—“Protect the Asset”—from Greg McKeown, the author of one of my new all-time favorite books, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.

You might’ve heard the term, “Self-Care,” and that means the same thing.

It’s all about the importance of taking care of yourself physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally so you’re able to help and take care of others.

I really like the term “Protect the Asset” because I am my most important asset.

If I don’t take care of myself, I won’t be able to do the things I want to do OR take care of those I love and who are important to me: family, friends, clients, neighbors, community, and so on.

It’s like the airplane oxygen mask analogy we hear every time we fly:

Put the oxygen mask over your own face before putting it over anyone else’s face.

If we don’t have the “oxygen” we need, we can’t help others get the “oxygen” they need, and we definitely won’t be as productive in all areas of our lives.

Ways We can Protect the Asset:

• Sleep (aim for 7-8 hours a night)
• Healthy eating to fuel your body correctly
• Exercise
• Hydration
• Pursue hobbies
• Quiet time
• Meditation (prayer, studying the scriptures, etc.)
• Work on an important goal
• Develop a talent

Greg also talks about 3 concentric circles: Protect the Asset, Family, and Other. Often, we start with Other, then with the energy that’s left, we move to Family, and while we’re spending time and energy in that circle, Family is really getting the leftovers from the Other circle. After Family, we move to Protect the Asset, and let’s be honest: By the time we get to this circle, there’s very little to nothing left for that circle. We have nothing left over to take care of ourselves.

But, when we start from the inner circle and go out—Protecting the Asset and then focusing on our family, we’re able to not only take care of ourselves AND our family, but also the Other stuff in life because we’ve taken care of our priority relationships first, including that crucial relationship with ourselves.

Tips for Protecting the Asset:

If you’re struggling to Protect the Asset, choose 1 area to work on, and the hardest one for you is a great place to start.

Why?

That’s the area you can see the most progress the fastest, and it will also spill over into the other areas of your life. Like, if you get enough sleep, you’ll be able to think clearer and make better choices in things like working out, healthy eating, work responsibilities, creative pursuits…all the Protect the Asset things. If you make time for quiet time, as another example, that can help you do better in other areas too.

And only work on ONE area and ONE thing to work on at a time.

Why?

Your chances of success are much higher when you’re focusing on developing only one new habit. Here are some interesting stats about developing a new habit:

• Develop 1 new habit at a time: 80% chance of success
• Develop 2 new habits at a time: 35% chance of success
• Develop 3+ new habits at a time: 5% chance of success

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get that 80% success rate, then move on to another habit I’d like to create.

What’s the 1 thing I’m doing to better Protect the Asset in my own life?

My morning ritual (I like the word “ritual” better than “routine”). This ritual allows me to get centered for the day AND Protect the Asset.

It’s changed over time, but this is what is working fabulously for me in this season of life (and yes, it’s different on the weekends: I sleep in as often as possible + I try to work only when necessary):

• 6:00 AM-8:00 AM: Get up, drink a glass of water, work out, prayer, scripture study, Start Today Journal, read a few pages in the personal development book I’m reading, write for 10 minutes, shower (the order depends on the day. It’s too dark to run first thing this time of year!)
• 8:00 AM: Start working

I used to get up later than 6:00 AM since I really don’t have a reason to get up early. We don’t have any kids at home, so there’s no need to get up before them to have some Protect the Asset time, but I’ve found that I’m my best self early in the morning. And I must say, I’ve been getting up at 6AM every weekday for over a month—except for Labor Day (because WHY would I get up at 6AM on a vacation day???), which is definitely a record for me, and I am so proud of myself because getting up at 6AM is VERY difficult for me.

We can do hard things if we put our minds to it!

In order to get up at 6AM, I have to go to bed earlier, like be in bed at 10PM. I’m a night owl, so that’s a hard one for me. But, getting up at 6:00 AM no matter what is helping to change my night owl status, for sure. See how that 1 thing is spilling over into another important part of Protecting the Asset?

What area will you work on first to Protect the Asset—You?

Leave it in a comment below. I’d love to hear what and how you’re doing!