I'll go first... Mine is Permission.
After the conversation I had today with my mentee in another group, I wanted to bring this up because I think that far too many of us, let's face it, especially moms, don't give ourselves permission to do this.
Read a book.
Take a break.
Take a bath.
Enjoy time alone with your spouse.
Enjoy family time.
Go on a date.
Take a weekend away.
We don't realize how important these little things are in our daily lives AND how they affect our businesses.
When we can identify our core beliefs that cause us issues, we're able to restructure our frame of thought and RESPOND not react. When we begin to work on these issues, we not only become better humans, but we become better business owners.
It's also really hard if you're 40/50+ and grew up with the mentality that work MUST be finished before you can play and that you can't do anything your Baby Boomer parents don't approve of. (Not tryin' to pick on y'all that are here!) But if you're hearing in your head "You're a business owner, it comes first" or "You can't take time off, your work's not done" or anything close to these, then you seriously need to get that core belief out of your head, tell your parent tape to be quiet and Give yourself Permission to put your wellbeing first.
Start with something small. Find one thing that you need to give yourself permission for and don't apologize for it! You're not allowed to feel guilty! This is part of the learning process. You're an adult and you can make your own decisions.
Once you begin to master this, a little at a time, you'll find that you're not only accomplishing more when you are working but you feel so much more at peace!! You don't owe anyone any explanation and you have nothing to prove to anybody.
I know that we have a huge number of very large businesses here in the Community, but we also have a vast array of single business owners and mom and pop shops like us. We tend to expect a lot of ourselves because let's face it, if we don't do the work, no one will. When we take time off we often feel guilty for doing so.
We all need to practice giving ourselves a little grace, kindness and permission to keep our own wellbeing important and do what brings us joy.
What's your word for the week?
Owner/Business Manager
Arctic Heat
R&C Property Management
Event Planner/Business Trainer
Member - Women in HVACR
Member - NAWIC; Mentorship Chair for MT Chapter
Square Champions Expert
