When was the last time you truly, intentionally rested?
As entrepreneurs, we easily get caught up in hustle mode (in fact, many of us feel like we THRIVE in it!), but we struggle when it comes to slowing down and getting quiet with ourselves.
This summer, I entered into a season of choosing fun over work, and let me tell you, it re-energized me and gave me SUCH greater vision and room to dream.
As a business owner, giving yourself space and peace is what allows you to envision what the next stage of your business looks like and how you can grow. When you’re caught up in anxiety and the stress of the day-to-day, it’s easy to stay there and let your business just coast without intentional growth.
Here’s my challenge to you: carve out time to find real rest! And once you’ve had time to rest, figure out how you can take that energy into your business without launching too hard and fast into busyness.
So here’s my take, the #1 secret in business isn’t an action item. It isn’t a magical formula or an online program. Heck, I can’t even turn it into a course.
Guys, it’s REST. No acronyms here, just plain and simple.
As an entrepreneur, you have to wear all of the hats. From sales, marketing, execution, product development, invoicing, accounting, shipping…on and on…we can all agree, it’s A LOT. Coaches all over the world want to tell you all their secrets for growth and success but I am here to say that if you don’t let yourself rest, you are going to burn out or even beyond. Yes, there’s a phase beyond burnout, it’s that mode where you stop caring about everything that used to be important. You go to work, push hard, pick up your kids, and you just sit on the couch and scroll your phone until bedtime. It’s not that you don’t care, it’s that you can’t take in anymore. You haven’t done anything that fills your cup, you’ve only chosen to give out your energy.
I’ve been there. As a high-achieving entrepreneur, I thought for years that I could keep pushing and pushing. Until I started seeing success, what I had always dreamed of unfolded in front of my eyes but I was so tired I couldn’t really enjoy it. It just felt like another thing, another moment…nothing special. That was my wake-up call. I thought to myself, “Why on earth did I spend these years working so hard? To get to that point I had always dreamt of and not feel a damn thing?” So I booked a trip.
I spent 8 days resting, playing with my girls, and letting them choose what our daily activity looked like. We spent the days laughing, napping, staying up too late drinking wine, chasing fireflies, and sitting around fires eating smores. I didn’t post a thing to social media – it was magic! Looking back it was just rest and fun – no agenda, no to-do list. Needless to say, I came back changed.
There are so many entrepreneurs that are spiraling, they are worried about revenue or achieving their next goal their bodies almost resort to fight or flight – and boy are they fighting. Abundance doesn’t come from fight or flight, the universe can’t show up for you when you are focusing so much on what you lack. So rest. Choose fun, choose to be light-hearted. It takes a leap of faith but choose it for yourself, your people, and your business.