Business owners from all industries, in all capacities, share an overarching challenge. This pervasive challenge is related to finding the balance between the quest for success in their business endeavors and happiness in their personal lives. While the business landscape grows increasingly competitive and the expectation for the business leader to be “always on” prevails, the importance of finding balance is also becoming a top objective of the savvy business owner who wants to stay healthy and avoid burnout. All this being said, the burning question remains. How? How can a business owner be “on the hustle” making things happen in the business world and still find time to be there for their families as well as work in the much needed downtime and self-care that is much-needed.
Check out some statistics that speak to the condition leaders face and the importance of striving for balance:
According to one study, 90% of CEOs regularly lose sleep over their fear of failure.
Another report showed that 30% of entrepreneurs admit to struggling with depression.
Yet, another study showed that 30% of small business owners report working 50+ hours per week, 20% working 60+ hours and 80% report feeling like they work too much.
A Quick Guide to Balancing Your Business and Your Life:
Level set your expectations. Many entrepreneurs, professional coaches and modern-day philosophers have come out in recent years to demystify the myth that we can have it all, that perfection and complete balance is an achievable reality. The fact is that, as business owners and leaders, we may not be in attendance at every soccer game. We may not attend every team brainstorming meeting, and we may need to check out from it all once in a while for unscheduled mental health day. AND, that’s fine. By putting undue pressure on ourselves, expecting perfection 100% of the time and feeding into guilt for the sacrifices that we make to run our businesses, we set ourselves up for unhappiness and, possibly, failure.
Calendarize your self-care. If you have a meeting with one of your top employees or a client, you add it to your calendar, and unless something major goes down, you plan accordingly and attend. Treat your self-care the exact same way. Your yoga class, gym workout, massage and acupuncture should get plopped right onto that calendar and kept. Of course, things may come up once in a while that trump your routine, but for best results, stay consistent. You’ll be a better leader, a better spouse, a better parent once you’ve taken care of yourself first. (Just like when the flight attendant on the airplane advises those traveling with children to put their oxygen masks on first…)
Don’t apologize to your kids. A large portion of business owners deal with the guilt of not feeling like they spend enough time with their kids. (If you don’t have kids, you might replace that word with spouse, significant other, friends or family members.) Because of the guilt and those unrealistic expectations that we place on ourselves, we may find ourselves apologizing and asking for forgiveness as if the path we are on as business leaders is not a positive one. My charge to you is to stop doing that ASAP. Once in a while an apology may be in order, but guilt is a waste of energy that can permeate into all aspects of your life and derail your success without adding any value.
“Let your loved ones in on the secret. You’re living out your dream as a business owner and
you need them to come along with you for the amazing ride – whatever that looks like!”
Lean into the things that light your fire. Self-care is non-negotiable, but there’s more to life than that too. Don’t neglect that other parts of your life – your hobbies, your passions and your curiosity. Take a course to learn a foreign language. Learn to play the guitar or join a softball team. These non-business pursuits can help you find more happiness and even grow as a professional.
It may be the achievement of a lifelong goal to finally be able to proudly say, “I own my own business.” But, with that nomenclature often comes a never-ending challenge of trying to balance it all. Giving enough energy and time to your business to support its success while still finding the bandwidth in your finite schedule to take care of yourself and spend time with your family is the challenge you don’t consider before you open shop. It is possible to find a balance that works for you – with a little effort and lots of discipline. It is possible – you can have it all!
Xandra Marketing helps businesses define their strategy, refine their leadership skills and drive their business toward success – all with a focus on hanging onto realistic goals and striving for balance.
