Feeling awful? Maybe now is not the moment to work on your business.
So far, 2017 has defined itself – for me, at least – as the ‘Year of the Hustle’. It’s all about doing more, being your best self, pushing through, and succeeding at the sacrifice of… well, pretty much everything else.
Today I want to advocate for something for your business that might sound a little controversial.
I’m talking about cutting yourself some slack.
Here’s the thing: when you’re tired, sick, or emotionally drained, it shows. In a lot of little ways. Sometimes in ways that you might not expect; like, for example, in your business. More specifically, in the way that you feel about your business.
I’m not blaming the hustle; the hustle is good. But if you let the need to succeed overtake everything, including your needs as a human being, you might end up resenting it.
Careful, it might be contagious.
Let’s be real, people. You may find it hard to allow yourself to stop sometimes, even if you physically really should. But it’s generally for the best. I was a bit sick last week, and instead of pushing through, I cut myself some slack and let it go. I felt guilty as hell. I was frustrated, and I felt like a complete failure. I wanted to do everything that I normally would – and I just couldn’t. None of these feelings were something that I want to associate with my business in the future though, so I knew it was important to give myself a break. Humans can’t always function at 1000% (no matter how much I wanna!). And I’ll own it – I have been guilty, in the past, of pushing myself too far, and then coming to resent the job because I felt so awful.
Why is this dangerous? Well you might ask. It’s one thing to resent someone else’s company for ‘making you’ work when you really probably shouldn’t be – it’s quite another to resent something that you built.
So this is what I’m going to suggest: if you’re feeling like crap, give yourself a break – literally. Yes, you’ve been working your butt off to make this business thrive. Yes, you will feel guilty for taking a few days for yourself. Yes, you might miss a lead or two, and that will suck. But if you work on something you love while your body or mind is in the trash, chances are some of that rubbish is going to rub off on your business. Is that really worth it?
Think long term.
Do you want your business-baby to be something that you love doing? Of course you do! So why would you turn it into something that you force yourself into?
Now, please don’t mistake me – making yourself work on your business rather than procrastinating is definitely something you should do. Make yourself a list of 5 things to get done every single day, and don’t let yourself start scrolling those feeds until they’re done!
BUT if you’re physically just done. If your brain has ceased to function. If you’re having a really rough time with something. These are the times when you should absolutely give yourself a me-day. And don’t even think about feeling guilty for it.
In the long run, you (and your business) will be better off.
