It’s been a crazy start to summer here in Northern VA… mild temps, sunny days, no humidity, and it’s early July. Never-have-I-ever!
The temptation to close my computer, pick the kids up early from daycare and head to the pool for the day is CONSTANT, and guess what… I’m doing it! But this decision did not come easily.
As many of you know, entrepreneurial life comes with both great pros and great cons. Wearing a bazillion hats, anything related to accounting, and moments of loneliness are just a few of the latter for me. Flexibility and getting to do what I want, when I want, are definitely my biggest pros.
But, if I’m being honest, I struggle with those too! (I sound like a big, fat complainer right now, don’t I?) Well, hear me out, because I’m pretty sure there are many of you who feel the same way.
I struggle to take advantage of the biggest benefits of owning my own business because of a little voice in my head telling me to do otherwise. Today the sun is shining, there are no clouds in the sky, my inbox is empty, no calls on the calendar, and I find that I’m anxious. I’ve decided that this has got to STOP.
Our workload is slow right now, which after a very crazy spring with 20+ events, seasonal wardrobe clients, and our move to Aldie, Virginia, I’m happy to be able to say this. Plus, my new employee started in February and is now up to speed and settled, so shouldn’t I use this “downtime” to keep selling? Network, meet with clients, write more blog posts, book those months up! Make more money!
Things right now just seem… too…. easy. That voice plays in my head repeatedly. But there’s another voice in there too, the one who wrote that last blog post about “building my business for the life I wanted to live”.
That voice knows what truly makes me happy and reminds me that those down times are just as important as the busy ones. That work-life-balance is my personal definition to success.
So, this is what I’ve come to decide. We need time to recharge. Everyone does. I don’t know about you, but my head is spinning in a million different directions most of the year when business is booming, and that usually also coincides with double ear-infections and one of my kids deciding to stop sleeping through the night.
We all need real time (that isn’t while on a planned vacation!) to just stop and smell the flowers. Take a day to enjoy the life we are living, outside of work, and BE OK WITH IT. We don’t need to see every slow work day as an opportunity to better our business, but instead, better what we enjoy most about life.
For me, personally, it’s my family, decorating my new home, and spending time on my body which is something I haven’t done in years since my kids were born.
So, today I’m going to appreciate TODAY. Because within the blink of an eye, the fall will be here, my days in the office will grow longer, and I’ll regret not spending this amazing opportunity I have to enjoy, simply, TIME!