My 4 Truths About Being Entrepreneurial

For whatever reason, getting as much accomplished in one day as humanly possible is perceived to be a sign of strength. Personally, I believe that if the quality of the things you are doing isn't there, then why take on more? While we may "only" have 24 hours a day, there is a lot we can do, especially if we are a little entrepreneurial about it. There are many things I do to be a little more entrepreneurial in my everyday life that make a big difference in how I get more done...so I'm coming clean...Here are 4 truths about my life and how I make things happen:

My Truth #1: I sleep a lot.

My Truth #2: I ask for a lot of help and give myself positive reminders in my phone throughout the day.

My Truth #3: I spend money on things I feel I can't do myself, and I save on the things I can do myself.

My Truth #4: I feel the fear and do it anyway! (seriously)

Now Let's Break it Down:

Sleeping A Lot: I believe that I can't put my best foot forward unless I'm well rested. The days that I sleep poorly are my most frustrating and unproductive days. Committing to rest means there are also precious hours in the day I can be productive at work. I stop working at 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. (unless I really feel I have to get something done or have a networking event) and spend some quality time with the ones I love. I aim to be reading my book in bed no later than 10:00 p.m. each night...and then I sleep for a solid 7-9 hours.

It may sound like a lot of hours off, but I am so productive in those working hours that it doesn't bother me or make me feel guilty (most of the time).  There are other trade-offs to taking good care of yourself, like missing out on seeing Star Wars the first day it comes out, but these are things I know I can do on the weekend! I know that things may change as my life circumstances change, but this is what works for me now.

Asking For Help: "Doing it all" doesn't mean I've done it all myself. This is a lesson it took me a long time to learn. I'll use the example of my puppy Fozzie for this one. I really wanted a dog. I thought it would make me feel less lonely working from home, and since we had a house with a backyard, the timing felt right. But getting Fozzie overwhelmed me more than I can explain. I cried regularly, and couldn't focus on my work. It took me some time to realize that I was trying to solve an unrelated problem by getting a puppy. The real problem was that I was spending too much time at home and didn't see enough people. I was then able to tackle that problem instead and enjoy puppyhood in all its glory!

What about those Positive Reminders? I actually put these "mantras" in  my google calendar to help me curb insecurities, doubt and negativity. What's my Monday message? Be patient with yourself and with others; Breathe!

Spending Money, Saving Money: There are so many things to spend money on in daily life, outside of the financial projections, spending and planning that goes into running a business.  It seems that money can just disappear if you're not careful. How am I entrepreneurial about these daily decisions? I spend when I feel like what I can do on my own isn't up to snuff, and I save (and commit to labour hours) where I know I can make things happen on my own.

Right now, I'm paying for a dog walker 3 days a week. This is definitely a bigger expense than I'd like be spending, especially since I run my business from home.  This "spend" decision allows me to feel like I'm being a great puppy mom (those 3 days are his happiest because he gets to walk with a big pack of amazing dogs!) and I am able to bill an extra hour or two (which pays for this expense). Providing an hour long walk with 5 other dogs? - notsomething I can do on my own easily, especially not in the middle of the day. Shoveling my own snow? Raking my own leaves? - something I can do before and after my work...and saves me money!

Feeling the Fear, Doing It Anyway: I know, it sounds cliché, but I take this very seriously. Feeling uncomfortable about something shouldn't be the reason that you don't do it. I have something written on my office wall - "Will I look back and regret this if I don't do this?" Usually, the answer is yes...so I feel the fear and do it anyway!

So here are four of my truths about being a little more entrepreneurial everyday...do you have any? Let's Get Schmoozing!

To learn more about Schmooz, check out my blog about the four things I learned while running my business in 2015, and why small businesses are important to me! Want to know to get some more Schmoozworthy people? Check out Fitness Entrepreneur Christie’s story!