Let me ask you a question. What do you do when you want your car to perform its best? You keep the exterior and interior spiffy. You change the oil regularly. You make sure that all the required maintenance gets done. In other words, you take care of your car.

Why should you be any different? If you really want to succeed on your journey to earn more by working less—if you really want to perform your best—you’re going to have to take care of yourself.

What does taking care of yourself mean? It means eating properly, getting enough sleep and exercise, and having free time to do the things you enjoy.

I know, I know. You’re most likely wondering, “How hard it can be to take care of myself?” It seems like a no-brainer. Logical. Easy.

So why don’t you do it?

Taking care of yourself might seem easy, but it’s not. Take one of my clients, Mike, a high-powered corporate attorney. Mike is one of those guys who looks like he’s got it all together. He’s trim, his wardrobe is impeccable, and he never has a hair out of place. If you had to guess, you would say Mike probably takes pretty good care of himself.

In reality, Mike is one of those guys who works until midnight six nights out of seven, and is lucky if he logs four hours of sleep a night. For lunch, Mike usually has whatever’s in the vending machine, washed down with a bottle of Mountain Dew while he catches up on legal briefs. Forget exercising. Forget spending free time doing things he loves to do. Forget investing in important relationships. Mike is too busy taking care of his clients, his schedule, and his obligations. He just doesn’t have time to take care of himself.

Mike is like a car that’s fresh out of the car wash, but hasn’t had an oil change in years. Nice and spiffy on the outside, but ready to give out on the inside. Can Mike go the distance in this condition? I doubt it. And neither can you.

If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to work less and make more.

Treat yourself the way you treat your clients, family, and friends—like the precious being you are. When you begin to focus on yourself, you’ll find that your dreams will start to come true. Try it. You’ll be amazed at what happens.