Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of work to run a productive and profitable business…I mean a lot of work! Sometimes we put ourselves last while we put our clients first, our employees first, our colleagues first. Very similar to a mother. A mother always puts her family first before her own needs are taken care of.
As a business owner, you cannot take care of your business if you don’t take care of you. I was sick for a month. I’m not someone who goes to the doctor often, but I went three times in one month. Three times it took before I got the diagnosis…pneumonia! Over the month, I tried every natural remedy to get better and nothing worked. Thank goodness for antibiotics and cough medicine with codeine!
I was in bed for five days straight recovering from pneumonia. It was a long five days. I spent a lot of my time sleeping, but I was able to work from bed. That’s exciting because as a solopreneur, spending five days in bed could have shut my business down or else I may not have recovered as fast.
After bed rest, I am now well rested. I feel good. I feel calm! But I also had a lot of time to think about life.
You come first – Putting yourself first isn’t selfish, it’s a necessity. If you aren’t running optimal, can your life be? During my last visit, the doctor said to me, “Are you working long hours and stressed?” Those were his first words. I didn’t think I was stressed, but my body thought different which could be one of the reasons I developed pneumonia. When I am fully recovered, I will be making changes to my workday and make sure exercise and taking time for me is scheduled on the calendar.
Be grateful – We have so many wonderful things happening in our lives, we need to be grateful. Be grateful for the flowers, for the roof you live under, for the food in your cupboards, for your friends, for your family. I am grateful for so much in my life, and during the last five days when friends would message me and ask how I was feeling that was very comforting and so grateful they cared.
The to-do lists – I am a to-do list lover. I’m working on moving my paper list to be housed in my computer, but I can tell you pen and paper worked great for me in bed. It was very helpful to keep track of what still needed to be done. On those days where I slept most of the day, the to-do lists were invaluable and helped me organize my day and not miss a beat.
Put yourself first so your business and life can thrive. Start by remembering it’s not selfish at all. It’s a must with our hectic lifestyles. It’s okay to unplug from the internet and enjoy life, even if it is just an hour a day.
Whether it’s exercising, meditating, soaking in a hot bath, walking, dancing like no one is watching or even shopping, I would love to hear from you how you put yourself first!
