To all the dreamers, risk-takers and visionaries.
The outliers, adventurers and people who hate being told what to do.
Defiers, badasses, rebels and weirdos.
This one’s for you.
Think about the moments when you didn’t know the next step, but moved your feet anyways.
The tears that have paved your path through rejection and failure.
Not to mention, the constant problem-solving and inability to shut your brain off when
ALL YOU NEED IS A BREAK
Yup, we chose this life.
And sometimes this life plays hard to get.
Come on baby, just the tip…
Uh-uh, I mean… I respect you, I love you.. but I have NEEDS!
From one entrepreneur to another, here are five things we all need to be reminded of:
1. Prioritize Your Shit! Be Selfish With Your Time.
Time is one of our most valuable resources and people will waste your time if you let them - not necessarily out of malice, but just happenstance. Let’s generalize for a minute; us entrepreneurs and business owners are often approached by friends, family members, and even strangers who want to “pick our brains”.
I’m no gate-keeping mother-f*cker, in the past I’ve given out my time like it had no value, like Halloween candy on November 1st. I have spent countless hours talking people through their goals, business plans, marketing strategies, content ideas, and design (ugh, design), only to have them do NOTHING with the information.
NOTHING!
Then I feel salty, because guess what? All of that energy, time, and motivation could’ve gone inwards. Take note of the relationships and conversations that are always one-sided, and the interactions that leave you exhausted and drained.
All of this to say: prioritize yourself. Just because your cup is half full (sometimes less, sometimes more) doesn’t mean that you have to dump it elsewhere. How about you take that water and feed your own garden, huh?
Build your own kingdom, water your own plants, then you’ll have all the fruits to share with others. Eventually.*
2. Never Turn Your Nose Up At A Pivot.
Sometimes building a business doubles as somewhat of a reality show:
Will they fail or will they succeed? This Monday, on an all new episode of Business Loans and Breakdowns.
The only thing worse than failing is failing in front of an audience. Learn to distinguish between perseverance and prolonging defeat. Switch things up if need be, don’t obsess over what others think or say. It’s easy to get so caught up, so deep in, so focused on the end goal, that we don’t see the opportunity for nuance. Now, I’m all about putting up the blinders and taking every precaution to dodge trivial distractions, but every once in a while, lower the blinders, take a look around, assess, reflect, smell the flowers, yada-yada-yada.
You’d be surprised at the possibilities that exist outside of your current vision and goals.
3. Take a Break.
In our line of work, taking a break can be somewhat of a luxury, but please prioritize rest. One thing about fatigue; it’ll catch up with you - you’re gonna pay for it now, or pay for it later - either way, it’s coming to collect**.
If time/task management isn’t really your thing, you literally need to treat yourself and your calendar as a child. Pencil in moments for rest as if it’s an important meeting or appointment, get to bed early (or wake up late), develop routines based on your own rhythm, and get good at spotting burnout before burnout spots you.
You’re not yourself (or your best) when you’re tired.***
4. Health is Wealth
Drop the french fry! I mean it!
How you treat your body matters; what you eat, how often exercise, stress management , sleeping patterns - all-ah-dat. I always talk about reflection, A/B testing, and figuring out what works best for you as an individual. The same way you plan for your business, plan for your life and your health.
Are you a morning workout person or evening workout person?
Does your body need protein? Iron? Vitamin D? All of the above?
Mental health: is it meditation, therapy, journaling or nightly walks that help you stay in a positive headspace?
When’s the last time you went to the doctor?
Why do you have to drink coffee EVERY day?
You get the drift.
You don’t have to be super militant, but discipline is one of those things that (when built up) spills over into other areas of your life. Magical.
5. Self Deprivation? Come on Honey, Let’s Get Real..
Self-deprivation is soooo beta.
Often, our first instinct is to look at ways we can minimize our lives (especially around finances) in order to make things fit. How’s about an audit? Cut out the things you truly don’t need, but please don’t punish yourself. I have this theory that if you resort to punishment and take away all of the things (the dinners, the vacations, the socializing), just because of money or business, that negative energy fueled by resentment will sully your money/business vibes (excuse my woo-woo).
After cutting the excess, think about ways to expand your bottom line so that at the very least you can sustain a modest lifestyle with sprinkles of things that bring you joy.
This is life, you only have one.
On that note…
In moments of uncertainty, chaos, and seclusion, it’s your unwavering determination, belief, grit, and sometimes delusion that saves the day.
Keep those feet on the ground and that head in the clouds.
Love you for-hever.
Photo Credit: Dom Productions. 2024
The Joke Section:
* or start a cult. With enough land and agricultural resources, you can pretty much do whatever you want
** Have you ever tried adderall? I’ve been dying to get my grubby little hands on it. I’m curious to see if it will mitigate the mental fatigue/fog. I’ve heard mixed reviews, and that it’s one of those things that you need to take every day to avoid withdrawal
*** This message was brought to you by Adderall (insert animated pill with a cheesy smile and thumbs up). Jk, I’ll stop talking about adderall now…
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