From losing health, marriage and business, to turning it all around -- and building a $200 million company

By Tom Gegax, from "The Enlightened Executive"

After enduring a Triple Whammy of marital, health and financial crises, it finally dawned on me that what I had been missing all these years was a connection between the four essential aspects of my self: body, intellect, psyche and spirit.
The four players on my "Inner Team" not only hadn't been communicating with each other, they hadn't even been formally introduced.

My intellect had been calling all the shots, my body never looked beyond my last bicep curl, and my psyche and spirit felt like neglected stepchildren. Although I had been constantly in motion for years and had felt reasonably healthy, this utter lack of inner harmony had been an insurmountable boulder blocking my path toward true wellness and peace of mind.

When that realization washed over me like a sudden burst of spring rain, I was embarrassed to admit to myself that I had virtually ignored half the players on my Inner Team. All this time, they had been patiently waiting on the sidelines. Translated to the business world, this was very much unlike me. I would never have allowed half my workforce to remain idle and unmotivated, yet for years I had essentially done exactly that with my own internal resources.

How important is it to get all four performers on the same stage? Well, imagine if John, Paul, George and Ringo had all pursued solo careers. They may each have scored a popular hit now and then, but they weren't destined to soar to the top of the charts until they combined their talents to transcend the sum of their individual contributions.

As I moved through my Triple Whammy trauma, developing key wellness strategies for each aspect of my life, I began to reap the amazing benefits of a quantum leap in wellness that comes when all four of our inner aspects align to create a potent synergy. After all, not a moment passes when every part of your being isn't enhancing, or detracting from, your decisions, choices and actions.

Of course, inner synergy is always in flux and never completely in balance. Self Coaching strategies aren't about perfection but about equalizing the attention and care we give each member of our Inner Team: our physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual selves. When a workable balance is achieved, all will benefit each time one is strengthened.

FROM EXHAUSTING TO EXHILARATING

The more I balanced the scales of my inner life, the more my thinking began to shift and, like a gosling following a mother goose, my behavior gradually followed suit. I came to realize that I deserved far better for and from myself. And that enlightened self-care would enable me to better share my talents with, and give myself more fully to, the people I worked with, lived with and cared about.

I came to view wellness as a holistic bank account, a concept originated by wellness trailblazer Hans Selye. Poor food choices, lack of sleep, emotional tension and other life stressors were withdrawals, while deposits were made with exercise, healthy meals, meditation, supportive relationships and other ways of genuinely caring for myself and others. Whenever deposits exceeded withdrawals, I was blessed with enhanced energy, crystal-clear thinking and deeper serenity. Plus, I had enough fuel in the tank to shift into fifth gear whenever an unexpected crisis reared up.

You don't have to set aside large chunks of time to jump on the wellness track. You can take a giant leap forward simply by keeping your antennae up and making different choices. For example, when you wake up tomorrow morning, take two minutes to breathe deeply and quiet your mind. Next time you're in a restaurant, choose a bowl of vegetable soup, spinach salad and bottled water instead of a burger, fries and beer. Instead of watching a sitcom, read a chapter in a personal growth book. Every month or so, treat yourself to a healing, relaxing massage.

I was initially propelled to make healthier choices by the fear of a cancer curtain call. But the life-affirming consequences of those choices were so immediate and so profound that I needed no additional motivation to continue choosing them. Over time, as new, healthier habits became firmly established, and then deeply entrenched, it became almost effortless to nourish and sustain my newfound vibrancy and robust sense of aliveness. Now that I find myself on the other side of the brick wall I had crashed into, I can assure you that better choices unquestionably lead to a better life.

About Tom Gegax

After a series of disastrous events pushed entrepreneur Tom Gegax to the brink of personal and professional ruin, he resolved to find a better way to conduct both his business and his life. He succeeded in spectacular fashion. While his journey back from the brink was lengthy and demanding, it was also richly rewarding. Revitalized in mind, body and spirit, he grew his $30 million, money-losing retail business into a $200 million industry leader in the span of just 10 years. Tom's first book, Winning in the Game of Life: Self-Coaching Secrets for Success, is a blueprint for creating a positive, productive and well-balanced life. His current book, The Enlightened Executive: Fusing Intellect, Intuition and Integrity to Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes, will be published soon.

Tom Gegax is part of the growing ranks of major executives who have turned to plant-based nutrition and a healthy lifestyle to protect or regain their health. Other examples are Disney chairman Michael Eisner, Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs, and financier Michael Milken.