I read an article this week on linked-in where the writer had challenged herself to take a whole week off and totally switch off from work. And she reinforced the ‘totally’ bit. She wanted to spend quality time with her children for an uninterrupted week and was asking readers if they thought she could do it. My response was, “Yes! Otherwise, what’s the point?!”
And that’s the question I’d like to pose in this blog: “Why are you really in business?” With my clients over the years I’ve gleaned there are often three main reasons:
You could almost combine 2 and 3 into the time and financial freedom to provide a great life for me and my family. And of course ‘be my own boss’ ‘get rid of the 9 to 5,’ ‘work at something I believe in’ are all in the mix. But for many business owners I meet, the ‘making a difference’ is happening and often the ‘making money' (for financial freedom) is happening but what’s got lost is the pursuit of time freedom. That has often become a vague ideal that will happen somewhere down the line. And of course when you’re younger you take your health for granted, you’re loving the buzz of your business. You’re energised and focussed and you’re driving your business forward. And that’s great…to a point. So I would ask you to just pause, take a breath and think about what’s really important to you. Most often people will respond to this with one word - ‘family.’ And you may say that you’re out there working all the hours for your family but given a choice would your children want more money or more of your time? Okay, maybe not teenagers! But younger children; are they going to remember summers of great games on the beach, pony rides and ice creams, and bedtime stories with mum or dad, or a parent who was always too busy? If you want great relationships with your children you can’t say, “Right I’ve got time now” and find they’re eighteen and about to leave home. And it’s not just about those wonderful memories you want for your children but for yourself too. You’ll never have this time again. Same for your spouse or partner. Think about what’s stopping you from taking time off:
Small business owners are clearly passionate about what they do, so it’s no surprise that they find it hard to leave work behind on holiday. It can be a challenge also to totally switch off from work as technology has made it so much easier to stay in touch. I believe it’s crucial to take proper breaks to achieve an enriched life and avoid business burn out. This is why we at MPL exist. Our vision is to make business easier. To enable people to achieve financial and time freedom. The right team, recruited to your Big Vision and Values, simple logical and repeatable systems to follow, and a strong second line manager to whom you can delegate are the portals to freedom. If you want any help unlocking those door please take a look at our website: www.mariannepage.co.uk or email us at: hello@mariannepage.co.uk Do one thing: Think about what’s really important to you and what may be preventing you from achieving it. Then act. Good luck and thanks for reading :)
1 Comment
David Bailey
9/15/2019 02:35:12 pm
My life has completely changed now, circumstances now find me without a home or a business or a paying job. I know care for my 97-year old father. I was recently going to apply to work for Ruth Smeeth, my local MP, it seemed really interesting and something I could be good at. But as I sat at my computer, adjusting my CV, I knew that I didn’t have the time to do it properly. And that is the clarity that comes with age and experience. When you learn that taking on more maybe lucrative, and make a difference, but being honest enough to realise that you can’t give it everything and, even more importantly, it will impact on the most important and most satisfying thing that I have ever done.
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AuthorMarianne is the author of three books, and is currently working on her fourth, whilst regularly writing her blog, we hope you enjoy it :-) Archives
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