By Mike Walter:

I made a very mature decision the other day.  It was a Thursday night and a friend of mine called me to see if I wanted to hang out. I like going out with this guy because we have a ton in common and usually wind up chatting into the wee hours of the morning.  Plus we’re both beer lovers so we often wind up at a table piled with empty pint glasses and taking Ubers home.  But I had a busy weekend staring me in the face, with weddings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then an industry event on Monday.

So I passed on his invitation.

It’s something I hated doing but for the sake of those events, and the clients who put their faith in me to perform at my best at their weddings, it was the right thing to do.

I make plenty of decisions like that throughout the year that help me be the best possible MC and DJ I can be.  Most of my health and fitness decisions are based solely on the fact that I know I perform better when I’m in better shape.  I look better in my suit, I don’t get winded when I move around and dance (which I do all gig long) and my knees and back aren’t aching by dinner time.  Deep down, I’m a fat kid at heart.  I literally have to play mind games with myself to keep from skipping workouts and not having that whole pizza pie that I’d like to devour in one sitting.  My motivation is my career and my desire to be my best.

And like I said in the introduction to this blog, I will often make decisions about going out (or not going out) based on my upcoming event schedule.  It’s mature (and some would argue dorky) but I know that I’m not my sharpest after a late night out, especially if that night included a generous amount of alcohol. We don’t have one of those jobs where you can drag yourself in bleary-eyed and perform half-assed and call it a day.  Our clients rely on us and I think we owe it to them to show up at their events in the best possible condition we can.  That includes staying fit and getting a good night’s sleep.  I’ve heard Howard Stern interview plenty of lead singers and front men who make the same point.  The bass player of a band can probably get through a show hung over and cranky, but if the lead singer isn’t sharp and his voice is strained from feeling ill and he’s exhausted from partying too hard on the road, the concert will be sub-standard. I’ve always considered what I do to be very similar to the lead singer and front man of a band so I take that advice to heart.  Treat yourself well and you’ll perform at your best level!

By the way, that buddy of mine and I went out the following Tuesday.  We met at a local micro-brew and did indeed stay out late and imbibe a bit too much.  But that Wednesday I had nothing but some office stuff to do so I could get away with it. I honor my clients but I also want to live and enjoy life!

Mike Walter is the proud owner of Elite Entertainment, a Multi-System DJ Company in New Jersey that was recently selected by TheKnot.com and WeddingWire.com as a top Entertainment company in the country.