Last week was the first time in many years that I was really sick. Being an entrepreneur you can’t afford to have a cold and you just work by it, but with sick I mean flat down fever in bed and having conversations with your toilet. That kind of sick.

I haven’t experienced it in a long time and I wouldn’t recommend such a day to anybody, but the days after were like a revelation. When your tank is depleted and you are ready to fill it up again you can experience every piece of food and the reaction it has an your body. Fruit went in as if it was ice cream and every cup of tea went down the inner river and you can follow it through down to your belly.

If you haven’t stopped reading by now, hooray for you as here comes the actual case I am making. Because the illness forced me to ‘reset’ myself I really became aware what all this food was doing with me. I’ve cut down on the ‘bad’ food immediately. There’s still the occasional snack, but it is a choice I am aware of.

Every business will have its good and its bad times as well. My company has had its ‘reset’ some years ago and has been growing ever since. Many good things can happen when you’re on a low point and are forced to survive. It’s not something you can control, but it is something you can take advantage of.

Being an entrepreneur means seeing opportunities where others won’t see them. It means never giving up and being at your best when you have to. It means being aware that all your actions as a leader will reflect on your company. That’s what I gained from talking to my toilet.