‘Men for the sake of getting a living, forget to live.’ Margaret Fuller In all likelihood you’ve been there… and you may have seen generations of your family and friends go through the same! You’re working endlessly, but find that you have so little to show for it!
Hard work alone doesn’t always pay, and that’s a fact. I’ve had times where the days of stress accumulated into weeks, which then turned into months, and when it started to affect my health, I told myself that I wouldn’t put myself through that again. As the story goes though, my work-horse nature took over, and before I knew it I began working frantically yet again, scrambling to ridiculous self-imposed deadlines, with weeks passing by in a blur. Thankfully, a bit of good sense kicked in, and although I had to make a concerted effort to do so, I forced myself to stop, take a step back, assess the situation and devise ways of working smarter and not harder. And that’s not just something that ‘people’ say. You can actually get more done in less time, and lead a more balanced life in the process.
Anyone who knows me, will know that I’m a hard worker by nature… and I do believe that having goals and working toward them is good for you, but one of the major mindset changes for me has been getting around to understanding that just working hard doesn’t always mean that you’ll reach your goals. What I’ve learned instead, is that periods of rest, enjoyment and contemplation not only helps to rejuvenate, but also assist with focus and creativity when you do actually get back to your scheduled tasks. I struggled for a while, feeling guilty if I took time out when I still had outstanding tasks to complete, but I managed this by scheduling my tasks as well as time out. Taking time for yourself doesn’t mean that you’re being lazy or avoiding work, it just means that you’re taking care of an additional area of responsibility- i.e. your responsibility toward ensuring your general well-being.
I now work toward practicing the concept of totality… looking at all the areas of my life that need attention, and my overall well-being. Depending on priorities, there will undoubtedly be times where the emphasis and your energies are focused on one area more than any other, but the important thing is to keep the others on your radar, and divert attention back to them as soon as you are able to.
Being Your Own Boss & Low-Cost Business Start-Up Ideas
So, you’ve thought about making a change and being your own boss… and you’ve probably second guessed yourself and been frightened off by the lack of ‘security’ and ‘guaranteed income’ that a JOB brings … Well, I’m here to tell you that the security of fixed employment in a large company or well-known institution is a myth. I used to believe the myth for quite a while, even when moving from project to project, but thankfully my entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and I saw the light! (and the freedom!)
Never Give Up Never Surrender
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising each time we fall.’ Confucious Hurdles in life are inevitable. If we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t appreciate our accomplishments nearly as much. It’s sort of like my experience of the weather now that I live in Britain… With the frequent rain, I appreciate, (and actually cherish!), sunshine so much more than I ever did when I lived in South Africa.
Give More, Get More!
So, you decided on what your business offer was, you had your website designed and developed and you’ve been in business for a while. It can be easy at times like these to only consider marketing strategies as a means to improve business, but really, what I’d urge you to consider is the benefit of adding value to what exists, and expanding on your profit centres…. For many existing businesses, this tends to often be one of the most overlooked and under-rated strategies for increasing your revenue. Don’t be one of these!
