I Am Not a Hummingbird

Did you know that a hummingbird has to eat half its body weight every single day just to keep those tiny wings beating?

If humans had the same metabolism, we'd need to consume about 300 hamburgers daily. Which at first sounds great. But that's one hamburger every five minutes, all day long (no sleeping). And I like sleep even more than I like hamburgers, so I’ll have to pass.

I discovered this fact the other day while eating a late lunch outside. A hummingbird appeared at a nearby flower, took a few sips of nectar, and zipped away. I pulled out my phone, hoping the little guy would return and I could snap a photo. He didn’t, so I found myself googling hummingbird facts instead.

Are you skipping meals?

Scarfing down a chicken wrap and an apple while scrolling through animal facts for a few minutes before jumping back into the fray…. I had to pause and think about my own flap-to-feed ratio.

While I'm burning energy at hummingbird speed - serving clients, shipping projects, writing content, and juggling some other work outside the office - I haven't been feeding myself nearly enough. Those ideas I want to explore? Still sitting in my notes. The systems I want to improve? Still broken. The strategic pivots I've been considering? Still just considerations.

I've been skipping too many business "meals," and honestly, I'm starting to feel lightheaded.

Nectar of the (business) gods

Every business has its own metabolic rate. Some fly like hummingbirds - fast, frenetic, always burning energy. Others move like great blue herons (we actually have one stop in our backyard from time to time!) - deliberate, patient, with powerful bursts when needed.

There's no universal formula for how much fuel your business requires, but one thing is for certain: if you don't consistently nourish it, it will eventually crash.

Now, when I’m talking about feeding your business, I’m not talking about cashflow. Serving and transacting with clients merely keeps you airborne. Real nourishment includes:

• Rest: Building in recovery time so you can sustain your pace without burning out.

• Investment: Developing new skills, working with a coach or peer group to help gain clarity and fresh perspectives, or pursuing those creative projects that energize you.

• System work: Actually fixing the processes that drain your energy instead of just working around them.

It’s the classic “working in the business vs. working on the business” balancing act. We need to flap and sip (or eat a hamburger if you prefer).

A balanced business diet

It’s all a balancing act.

The inverse problem of this is spending too much time gorging ourselves on business books and courses, overthinking without taking action, and building and “optimizing” systems that never get used.

Can you imagine a hummingbird that only eats but never flew? (A.I. image generators can!)

I’m not advocating for a non-stop 10-15 beats-per-second lifestyle, but we do need to flap our wings if we want to get off the ground. And if we want to keep flapping, we have to keep feeding.

This week, I'm challenging both of us to pay attention to our business diet:

• Are you eating nothing but business junk food: busy work that fills time but doesn't fuel growth?

• Are you balancing immediate client needs with longer-term growth investments?

• Are you building in enough recovery time? (Believe it or not, hummingbirds do sleep. 12 hours a day actually!)

Stay nourished and keep flying - sustainably, powerfully, and in the direction you actually want to go.

Your Turn

If your business was a bird, what kind would it be?

And what's one way you can properly "feed" your business this week that has nothing to do with client work? Hit reply and tell me. I'm curious what nourishment looks like for you.