Guest Author: Julie Morris, Life and Career Coach -- juliemorris.org
We tend to put a lot of value on the hustle, especially in the business world. However, as business owners, what we often forget is to take time for ourselves — to take a few steps back, really redefine our goals and priorities, and come up with real strategies to achieve them. So, if you’ve been feeling stressed by your success or just stressed out in general, these savvy small business and self-care tips can put you back on track again.
Look for Alternative Solutions for All That Entrepreneurial Stress
Starting your own business can be exciting but it’s not without some common startup stresses. Managing your time, finances, and ultimate success can be enough to add some serious anxiety to your life. So, you have to find positive self-care strategies to help you deal with that added stress and turn it into professional and personal success. Holistic practices may offer some significant benefits here, as self-care routines involving yoga, mindful meditation, and natural remedies can all reduce stress for small business owners. Fortunately, you can get started with yoga by signing up for a class (some of which are as low as $12) and purchasing a yoga mat (Amazon sells great mats for as low as $14.79).
Think Through Your Business Goals and Keep Them Attainable
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big when it comes to your business. Having major future goals for your success can help drive you to achieve it, but you have to be careful of over committing yourself to goals that are not clearly defined or attainable. So, when setting goals for your new business or the growth of your existing one, consider using SMART thinking throughout the process. Aspirations should be as defined as possible and should be practical and measurable as well. Using this kind of approach when outlining short and long-term business goals can help you avoid feeling disappointed or wasting your efforts. Disappointment can be a source of stress that can get in the way of achieving your goals.
Know That Failure Does Happen, So Be Ready to Learn From Yours
So much stress for business owners comes from the prospect of failing. Whether it’s failing to reach financial goals or achieve major success, you have to remember that every successful business has experienced some sort of failure in the past. Even business behemoths like Amazon and Coca Cola have missed the mark when it comes to marketing their business and products. Other than those misses, what these businesses have in common is that they quickly learned and adapted from those failures. You can thrive after failure too, if and when it occurs for your business. Getting familiar with famous failures can help, but also be prepared to confront your own fears, feelings, and thoughts too. Let yourself feel those things, no matter how uncomfortable they are, and then come up with a good plan to push through them.
Find Balance Between Work and Life That Works for You
Aside from learning from failure and dealing with stress, we hear a lot about work-life balance in the business world. There are so many ideas and suggestions floating around, but the truth is, your work-life balance can be relative to your own personal and business needs. Just like your goals, try to be objective and realistic when it comes to planning out your routine. You may need to forget about making dinner every night and opt for meal-prep options instead, or you may need to set some regular office hours. Also, if cleaning your home seems to be toward the bottom of your to-do list, consider bringing in someone to do it for you; the cost of a maid service in Barrington is around $150 and $175 per cleaning. Whatever you need to do that also allows you to care for your health and well-being, is probably what is right for you. Be confident in that and try not to compare your schedule and needs to other friends or business owners.
Owning a business takes hard work and determination, but the rewards are always worth your effort and time. So, be intentional when setting those goals, be mindful when taking care of yourself, and be confident that you can achieve success with your own small business.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
