The Love Sheriff’s guide to rocking entrepreneurship like you mean it 🙂
I help a lot of people who are in business for themselves (mostly they’re soulpreneurs). I’d love to share some of my healing insights as it relates to self care and entrepreneurship with you.
Sometimes I meet Awkwardpreneurs in my healing room.
That’s my affectionate term for entrepreneurs who are out of alignment in one way or another. To be sure–they’re some of the coolest creative people I know. And, they’re out of balance.
We self-employed love to run our own show, spending many many (many) hours each day climbing that mountain. We know what it’s like to feel stressed over a looming deadline while wondering where the next clients will come from, while being concerned about staying relevant, having good stats, analytics, and likes.
And even though we’re exhilarated by it all, we know what it’s like to feel completely worn out and maybe just a little crispy around the edges.
The laundry piles up, the dust-bunnies roam. We sacrifice important self care practices like exercise, meditation, and healthy eating.
It can be so challenging to make space for things like downtime and fun when we’re focused on honoring our muse.
The thing is, play time and fun plus rest and relaxation are vital to having the good juju and stamina you need to rock your dream like you mean it!
Think of all the things people say you can do as an entrepreneur: You’ll have a life of freedom, you’ll make your own rules, they say. You’ll be able to do stuff like read a book in the middle of the day while lazing in your hammock, or meet friends for lunch whenever you want or take a walk in the park. Then there’s all that traveling you can do whenever you want…
But the reality is, most of us don’t know how to make space do to these things. We don’t know how to insert the wedge of freedom into our daily schedules. It’s such a mistake.
And what about when you’re sick? Don’t even get me started on how many of us push through when we aren’t feeling well.
Lots of folks tell me that’s just the way it is in business… well, maybe, maybe not. It depends on what you’re affirming.
Personally, I’m not okay with affirming that intention of “that’s just the way it goes when you run your own business” as my most wanted “thing.”
I know you are here to have a life that is joyful, fun and easy. Yes, easy. It does not have to be a struggle to do what you love AND go at a pace that can sustain you.
Don’t just be an Awkwardpreneur, be an Awesomepreneur 🙂
Let’s talk self care tips for entrepreneurs…
First of all, we usually have this dream of wild abundance. If that’s you, listen up! If you affirm business and hard, stressful work as your goal, you will never be in alignment with abundance. Think about it: abundance is a state of well being, peace and ease. You are not a match to this state when you are pushing yourself and ignoring your personal care. This is probably the most important takeaway for you: Abundance is in alignment with peace and ease, NOT stress and pressure.
If you really want to rock it like you mean it, you’ve got to learn to take a break. Stop what you’re doing, stand still and breathe. Sit down and breathe. Lay down on the floor and breathe. Get still. Hold still and breathe.
You can even put a little smile on your face. Try it. So what if it makes you feel silly, do it anyway.
We’ve become masters at ignoring what matters most. Important things like feelings, and the physical needs of our very own bodies. We blow ourselves off usually because we feel stressed and pressed. Because there are Really Important Things you need to do and you don’t have time… I know. I hear this a lot from the people I help. And it makes me feel sad because your body is the only container you’ve got for all that creative juice.
Your body is the temple, friends. You only get one.
My philosophy: Making room for meditation, exercise, and proper diet aren’t options, they’re musts.
These practices make up the fuel that help us rock our work like we really mean it.
I don’t like to preach, it’s not my style…but I do like to share my philosophy with people who come to me for help.
Not everyone gets it though.
“Yeah, yeah”, they tell me, “I know I should do that, but I am trying to figure this really big thing out and I don’t have time to relax! I’m too busy!” You’ll get to your needs in a minute.
And OMG recently, someone said to me, “I am NOT going to change my diet! NO WAY!”
Yikes, my friends, yikes. Your body is the temple.
This is the time when I could tell you one of those death bed stories I’ve heard from people wishing they could have another chance to do it differently but I won’t. You have to take responsibility yourself and no story or any amount of nagging can push you into this.
If you’re still reading this far, just take a little breath right now. In and out. Now try a deep breath. I know you think you have more important things to do. But, you don’t. Really. You don’t. When you insist you are too busy busy busy to make space, you are creating an unconscious intention which affirms the business over health, rest, relaxation, joy, fun, even abundance. We don’t think about it like that, but that is the reality of what we do when we push for business over anything else.
You are the #1 priority in your life.
You must make yourself a priority. Your needs should not be put on the back burner.
You need to take a breather. Just give yourself a moment. Do it at least 5 times in the day.
Make a cuppa tea, listen to the birdies chirping outside. Find the smile on your face again.
Do a little yoga. Take a dance break. Walk to Starbuck’s. Do something fun! Stand up. Get off your booty.
Don’t just hop on facebook, or check email. This is not a break. You probably already know this.
Every hour or so, stop and give yourself your full attention. Everything else can wait for a little while.
There is no fire here. Nothing bad is gonna happen. Just take a break.
So, what say you? Are you an Awkwardpreneur or are you an Awesome one?
xxo
