I cannot tell you how important it is for a business owner or an entrepreneur to take care of themselves. It’s something that I feel like I have to keep re-learning over and over again.
I have the tendency to work, work, and work, putting everyone else and everything else above my own needs. And I’m not sure if this was an issue that is innate within me or if it’s an issue that came up after I became a parent. As the birthgiver, those hormones were absolutely crazy. Crazy enough for me to endure eight weeks of painful nursing (until we got it right!). Crazy enough for me to endure 3.5 years (YEARS!) of broken sleep. It’s like my brain has been rewired to make sure the family is okay. And even then it feels hard for e to put myself first.
This really played out more aggressively when my little one was younger. I can distinctly remember talking with a friend who urged me to find some space for myself. Like, going to the gym for an hour. And at that time, I simply could not allow myself to entertain the thought. It’s like a weird mix of mom-guilt and hormones that made me hyper-focused on the family.
This hyper-focus is slowly fading. I’m talking slowly. I have now joined a gym, and I go between two to three times a week. It’s this one here. It’s great, the owner Sarah-Jane focuses on older adults, especially ones who have kiddos, and she’s also great at nutrition. But what really matters for me is to get out of the house and focus on myself for an hour or so.
As an entrepreneur you are your most valuable asset. Which I know sounds cliché, but your body your mind are what is driving your business forward. Or if you haven’t started one yet, but would like to, valuing yourself will only return greater dividends. And it can be something as simple as going for a walk.
Take for example today. Today is not a gym day. Now while I would love to go, I must do some work. But I knew that before I sat down this morning my body felt yucky. Or maybe like it needed to be shaken out, dusted out. Probably why because my little one was at home the past two days from their daycare. Now I love my kiddo… but full time care-giving? It’s relentless. So, after I tidied up the house and had breakfast, I sort of noticed that my body wasn’t feeling ‘right’. It felt stagnant, stiff, or stale. In the past, I would have pushed through and sat down to work. But today I knew that my working time would not be as productive if I bulldozed right into it.
And let me tell you, it was hard to give myself some space. It was hard to listen to my body and crave out some time simply for my own wellbeing. But I did. I went for a walk, it was not fancy, did some stretching (because I like it, not because you have to!) and came back inside. It’s not glitzy or fancy but it’s what my body needed today.
So I urge you to listen to your body and treat it well. Because if you are your most valuable asset.
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