Seems to be one of the most difficult things to do at this time. Life has become so fast paced, it's not easy to separate our time evenly. The more we feel we need that balance, the more pressure we place on ourselves to find it. We tend to prioritize work, clients, appointments - all the grind stuff. The £¥€$ get the best, then family and friends get the rest 😔. I saw this very recently at my own home. My husband had been very busy trying to get work things sorted out and he hadn't been able to spend quality time with our son for about 2 weeks. One day, he approached his daddy very gingerly and said "Daddy, can you play with me please?" Two people heard this statement and made 2 very different interpretations. I heard "Daddy, I miss you and want to spend time with you". He heard "Daddy I want to be frivolous and play all day". As a result of being in work mode, my husband launched into a speech about monitoring how much time he spends playing, and ensuring he does some book work and was going on. I surreptitiously asked my son something to get him out the room and explained to hubby what was happening. He hadn't seen it, because he was pressuring himself with work related matters. Once I explained, he accepted what I said and apologised to me. Then he went to our son, had a chat with him, put down the work and they went swimming. You should've seen the smile on his face as he went through the door. He was going to do a 'Daddy and son' activity. It made his day! They had a really lovely time! Both came back home smiling. Our son went off to play on his own again and hubby was able to do a few work related bits before turning in for bed. Remember, there's only 1 YOU, so take care of you. The balance may not come in an orthodox way, but here are some things you can do to make it: 1. Remember that everything you don't get to do today, by God's grace, you can do tomorrow. 2. Schedule your time daily as productively as you can, including a little time for contingencies that may happen 3. Include rest breaks, lunch breaks, tea breaks 4. Work on the 'frogs' - those things you dont like doing but need to he done. Procrastinating on those can wreak havoc later. 5. Work late if you must, but DON'T DO IT EVERYDAY. Life is not always about the money you make. Some things are more important. 6. Make 'movie night', 'date night', fun day, pizza day - whatever family recreation you like. Make it a REAL THING. You didn't get into business to be alone, so don't alienate yourself. Ease the pressure - this will help you recognise ways in which you can make the balance. HEY!! Have you taken advantage of my special offer as yet? You can find it here.
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My Mum LOVES her grandson and he LOVES her right back! They value the relationship they have with each other and do what it takes to keep it healthy. I love to watch them playing. The way they can both give, and he's still learning how to take :-). Others looking on can see how important they are to each other and there's no mistaking they are irreplaceable!
I heard this morning of a lady who is going on maternity leave. Those of us in the UK know the 9 - 12 months can be challenging financially, especially if it's the larger income that will be forfeited for the time. However, this lady's employer has OPTED to top up her monthly government maternity grant, AND set her up to work from home when she chooses to start working again. Isn't that amazing!? Her managers have recognised that she's an asset to the company. They value her, her happiness, the company, it's staff and working environment very highly and will do what it takes to protect & preserve the relationship among them. Us SMEs can learn from these two examples. If your business is that important to you, you will do what you can to protect all aspects of it: - Reputation. Love your clients enough to do what you say you will do. Keep your word! "A good name is more valued than huge riches" - Growth. Take time to examine the journey and see where you can expand or diversify. Your 'small business' can remain as small or become as large as the potential you choose to explore. - Finances. Ensure you do a splitting ratio for how you will give, spend and invest your money and stick to it! some do 70:20:10. Some 80:10:10 and some 70:10:10:10. Find what works for you. - Team. Let your team know you appreciate the contribution they make to your business. Small teams tend to operate as close knit families, so ensure they know you care. You wouldn't have started your business, if it wasn't important to you, so VALUE it! Choices, chances, changes. It's all a part of business. Challenges for SMEs are a few: Don't get stuck where you start Never be afraid to make decisions Get comfortable with making DIFFICULT choices . Understanding there may be more than one solution Know there is strength in being vulnerable sometimes The option to let go is at the bottom of the pack. Recognise that it will surface at some point Quick assessing has to become a skill It's not enough to start, it's not enough to start with a plan. It's not even enough to start with a plan and have determination! It's necessary to be comfortable with recognising the variety of options that come into play and be flexible to make changes as the needs arise. That's one way of giving oxygen to your mental disposition. Want to wear this graphic as a shirt? Click here
In one of my devotionals recently, this lesson was so stark to me. I'll share here but really, a video may be better. As we're going along and things are going really well, we get happy. Then sometimes we remain semi aware, sometimes we simply go into auto pilot. When that happens, we can go from the stage of being really productive, to being in a dry unproductive place. We're on autopilot, so we don't recognise. Your journey is yours to look after. Being on auto pilot simply wont do. FOCUS! Remain aware. Is there a way to avoid the stage of low or no productivity? Is it a phase you need to go through to be better at the end? There are times when things may be tough - it happens occasionally. I won't lie, it's where I am now. However, if you believe in your product and you are assured the end result or your progress can and will be better - keep going. I'm focusing on my promised outcome and what lessons I am to learn from this stage. AM I RIGHT? 🙂 Want to wear this graphic as a shirt? Click here
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AuthorKaren Reeves-Toppin is passionate about small business and seeing this major contributing sector of the economy become more recognised and experience greater success. The thoughts shared here are to inspire and encourage others on the Entrepreneurial path. ArchivesCategories |