Do not sacrifice your life to your business!
Nobody gets to the end of life wishing he or she had worked more.
So many business gurus tell their followers that they need to work, work, work to get their businesses off the ground. But it simply isn't true!
It's hard to know when you are a new entrepreneur. You see advice all around you.
- "You must be active on many social media platforms."
Don't fall for the trap of working your fingers to the bone by trying to do everything.
Each business is unique and each one deserves to have strategies chosen just for it.
Every entrepreneur has special strengths. We are not all good at everything and it doesn't make sense to hop onto every bandwagon just because it is the latest popular vehicle.
When you evaluate your life right now, how does it feel?
- Do you wake up every morning, eager to start your work day?
- Do you finish your work at a reasonable time so that you can enjoy your life?
- Do you take time off on the weekends?
Most of us spend way too much time working without accomplishing much when we are new to being business owners.
When I had my first business, my flight school, I worked 7 days a week and I loved it.
I did that for quite a few years. I wanted to prove that a woman could be successful in the male-dominated world of aviation. And I succeeded.
It worked out well because my children became involved in the business. They answered the phones, washed the airplanes and went along on fun trips that we arranged for our pilots.
My friends were pilots and they liked hanging out at my flight school. We had a lot of fun.
My life took a new path however and I moved on to running other businesses.
I enjoyed them too, including my current business, helping +40 Women Entrepreneurs to grow their own businesses. But having married my long ago high school sweetheart, I no longer wanted to work long hours, 7 days a week.
And I didn't have to! It is amazing how much you can accomplish when you are refreshed. I absolutely get more done each day by working fewer, focused hours. I enjoy weekends off and taking vacations.
And you can too.
You need to take a long hard look at how you are working.
Are you working more than you want to?
Are you wishing you had more time for your family and friends?
Would you love to have time for your favorite activities and vacations?
It's possible. It's doable.
Did I say a long hard look?
Let me rephrase that! How about a fun, interactive evaluation of what you are doing now and what you'd like to balance your life and your work?
That's the very first module of my new program, Time to Shine.
I strongly believe that people should decide first what kind of lives they want to live. Then they should fit their businesses into their lives. Unfortunately, too many people do it backwards. They build their companies and then try to insert their lives, often leaving little time for family and friends. I know. I did that once. Never again.
Does your business dictate your life or does your lifestyle come first? I'd love to hear, in the comments below.