August 30, 2019
5 ideas to finding balance between wellness and success as an entrepreneur
Ah, the good old idea of work-life balance. Can it really be achieved or is that just as far-fetched as the fairy tales of Disney movies? Especially when it comes to being an entrepreneur, that balance feels even less of a realistic goal. But listen up, friends! You are in control of your life and the truth is: it’s not about finding balance, but truly about creating it for yourself.
The issue is that most people don’t take the time to reflect upon what is truly in alignment with their needs and what can be delegated or rescheduled, so they get real busy. But by living intentionally and thoughtfully crafting your schedule, that coveted work-life balance truly becomes possible. Here are five ideas to finding balance between your personal wellness and the success of your business.
1. Stop glorifying being busy!
Being busy does not make you productive. It doesn’t make you better than anyone. It doesn’t even mean you’re getting better results. It just means you’re not allowing enough time for what tasks are truly making a difference, and probably burning yourself out with overwhelm. It’s true that crossing off to-dos is addictive, but it isn’t always what’s best for your business. When planning your schedule for the week or the month ahead, be aware of what makes you shine from within and make more time for those moments. Not every morning routine that starts at 5 am and filled with yoga, matcha lattes, and meditating is for everyone! Just make sure that you’re being true to yourself, even if that means scheduling in a power nap from time to time.
2. Commit to being your highest self
Scan your body and reflect on what you need right now in this moment. Is it a walk around the block to stretch out your muscles or is it a bath to calm down your nervous system? Working yourself to the bone and over-committing doesn’t serve anyone – especially not you. You definitely can’t be showing up and helping others if you’re not in the right frame of mind. By committing to being your highest self, you can be a great entrepreneur and lead by example for those around you.
This means eating food that will nourish your body, exercising to oxygenate your brain and gain energy, drinking half of your body weight in water to stay hydrated, and working on a positive mindset. Does that sound like a lot? It really doesn’t need to feel overwhelming if you’re intentional about what you are doing with your time. With practice, these things will become habits and more easily integrate into your routine without having to obsess over them. Commit to yourself first and you will see massive changes in your wellness and business success.
3. Intentionally plan time to unplug
Isn’t it the craziest idea to feel guilty about needing time for ourselves? So many entrepreneurs don’t take time to slow down and embrace the art of doing nothing: dolce far niente – as was coined by the magical book, Eat Pray Love. Truly, there are so many benefits to pressing pause and just basking in the present moment. You give your mind time to wander! That’s scientifically proven to be one of the most effective ways of coming up with creative ideas. But the secret is to do it with intentionality. Schedule in time to play and allow breaks for yourself – so it feels like it was planned and not like you’re “wasting time” or that you could use that time to work on your business instead.
4. Find a hobby that’s outside of your business
Oftentimes as a creative entrepreneur, your passion becomes your business. (Kudos to that because making money from your passion is the ultimate goal!) However, it can lead to feeling depleted from creative ideas or having your biz become all-consuming. By finding a hobby that is unrelated to your business, it allows space for you to breathe and pursue time to explore new activities for your life. Some ideas for a hobby can be taking yoga class, joining a book club, taking a cooking class, or signing up for a marathon!
5. Celebrate the little wins
This idea is key in finding fulfilment and choosing to focus on happiness. There’s really no point to having a million dollars in the bank account if you’re broken inside and miserable, right? Celebrating the little wins can be super simple, like treating yourself to a special dinner when you’ve reached a business goal. By appreciating small milestones along the way to success, you can more easily navigate the roller coaster ride that is entrepreneurship.
Keeping a gratitude journal is a great idea for the days that just don’t quite seem to be going as planned. You can look back and re-live those happy moments when you get into a mindset funk. Positivity attracts more positivity, and it truly is powerful to shift your mindset into seeing the good in every situation. By shifting focus on embracing your growth journey rather than focusing solely on the big picture (ie. I’ll be happy when I make $100k this month) it helps you enjoy the ride there.
To be an entrepreneur is to be the boss – to make decisions that help move your business forward, right? Well remember that there’s no sense in creating a business that runs you! You are uniquely you, and the beauty of that is you get to choose what is best for your life. Creating a work-life balance is a beautiful challenge because you get to decide what you want more or less of in your daily routine. There is no one-size-fits-all, and that’s the fun part! So choose how you spend your time wisely, and you’ll be able to find a work-life balance as an entrepreneur.
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