Entrepreneurs are passionate about their business, employees, and clients and about their family, friendships, and life. Yet they often squeeze themselves out in the middle. You are worth self-care. Do things 100% just for yourself to fill your personal gas tank and build your resiliency.
Listen as I share more on the Price of Business Show.
Recorded on my sailboat Sea Bird which is where I go to build my resiliency.
Audio
Transcript
Hi everyone. This is Coach David J. Greer. I’m a 40-year entrepreneur, business coach and strategic facilitator. Today I want to talk to you about how entrepreneurs get squeezed out in the middle. I work with a lot of entrepreneurs. I know a lot of entrepreneurs, and as a group, they are incredibly passionate about their business and about the change that they want to bring in the world and the clients that they help, and I love that. Most entrepreneurs are also very passionate about their life, whether that’s their spouse and children or if they don’t have a significant other or children, then it’s about close friends or extended family. They spend a lot of time and energy with those people and focused on their life. This is all well and good, focused, passionate about your business, passionate about your life, but what I’ve discovered is that we often let ourselves be squeezed in the middle.
We do not do those things that renew us, that look after us, that build our resiliency. When we don’t look after ourselves, we have mental health issues or we get sick, or again, on the topic of resiliency, it’s like there’s nothing in the gas tank. So when something goes really wrong in the business or something goes really sideways in your life, you don’t have the capacity to deal with it because you haven’t been looking after yourself. I know for me, this idea of looking after myself exclusively, really, really focused on just things that are for me seem very selfish, and it is, and you’re worth it. I got coaching that reminded me that there’s being selfless and there’s being selfish, and it’s a continuum. If you’re 100% selfless, then you will guarantee to be burned out.
If you are selfish, 100%, no one will want to have anything to do with you, and the pendulum swings back and forth. But what I find is that all too often we never let the pendulum stop on that part that is just ourselves. Sometimes taking care of ourselves is just back to basics. Are you sleeping well? Are you eating well? Are you getting exercise? When did you last take a vacation? I know a lot of entrepreneurs that brag they never take vacation, and not only is it not good for them, it’s not good for the business. Your psyche and your body and everything needs that time away to gain perspective, to let your subconscious work on things, and I mean really get away, like throw the phone away. I really encourage those kind of things in looking after yourself.
What have you got in your calendar that you’re looking forward to, either just for yourself or with others? A vacation is a great place to start by having something in the calendar. I have one client that loves to go to movies with his brother, and sometimes on calls I just say, “Hey, when on your calendar you next going to a movie with your brother?” Again, it’s just one of those things in the busyness of life and business gets skipped over, and yet, this individual knows that doing this makes them feel better, boys them up, brings them joy and makes it so they’re better able to show up in the other parts of their life. I’d like to challenge you today. I would like you to choose one thing that you could do today that would be 100% focused on yourself. This is Coach David J. Greer. You can reach me at coachdjgreer.com. That’s Coach D as in David, J as in James, greer.com. I hope you’re having a fantastic day and that you do something to look after yourself.
