The beginning of any year is a time to reflect on your life experiences and examine the spaces of time where your path changed and the reasoning behind that change. From these defining moments a new direction may form and a plan built to attend your needs. Before we manage others we must be able to manage ourselves. With this plan, action can be taken and growth will be achieved allowing you to manage a small business work/life balance.
The Four Factors of Work/Life Balance.
- Live from the inside out. Focus on yourself as all external demands create negative energy.
- Discover your gift, what you are good at. What is it that makes you unique?
- Discover what moves you. Where does your joy come from? Success relates to emotion.
- Discover Solitude. Take time out, find peace of mind.
Our parents influence us from a very early age but we tend to not take this into consideration until we look upon the source of our goals. If you read my earlier post on goal setting, now would be a good time to go back to your notes and consider where the influences for your goals came from.
Defining Moments
Can you identify the defining moments of when a choice of direction was made and taken in your life? Was this in desperation to fulfill a single need at that particular time? Or was your chosen direction governed by what others expected of you? At the time it may of seemed like the easy way out, maybe it pulled on some heart strings or family pride. By creating a small business work/life balance, your defining moment is right now, today, this minute of this hour of this year. Your priorities are revealed, your commitment is tested and your character is shaped.
Revealing Your Work/Life Balance
Try saying this “Today I am at a fork in the road, a defining moment, a time that may have lead me down a path well trodden if I had not set my goals in place.” An opportunity has now presented itself, an opportunity to start with a blank sheet. This will allow planning which will give you direction, a starting point, a growth period and a time frame to complete the actions required.
The environment of all small businesses constantly change and you must be aware of these changes before or as they happen to keep ahead of the needs of your customers. The difference between one small business and another is how you act on these changes or where we direct our energy. We need to understand who we are, our strengths and our weaknesses. We need to take some self analysis and learn more about our ultimate management tool, ourselves. An improved understanding of ourselves and the factors contributing to our current situation will help guide us on the path to a Small Business Work/Life Balance.
Five Small Business Treasures
- Start with a blank page. All great ideas were born on the blank page.
- Believe in your decisions and others will believe your decision.
- Define your path. Be clear and precise.
- Your values are your strengths.
- Follow the four factors of small business work/life balance.
If we are not doing what we love we are fulfilling someone else s dream.
Fantastic tips on having balance in your life with a small business.
This site is a great resource and having tips for balance and a clear path is truly beneficial. Remembering not to take our business home with us can sometimes be a challenge. Driving home unwinding from the day helps me a lot. 🙂
Thanks for your comment Cherie. Sometimes we need to take a step back and remember the reason we started a small business in the first place. A long drive helps you, I find a long walk after dinner is the perfect time for reflection on a fulfilling day.
Liked this article. Lots of information, however what was important to me was the word “solitude”. In small business we are usually working alone. For myself am always filling up the time with tasks or phone calls. Very important for all aspects of self to give ourselves the benefit of “solitude”.
Thanks Virginia. We all need to be with ourselves at some stage, this gives us an opportunity to reflect on where we have been and consider the direction we are now taking.” Step back, analyze your surroundings, move forward”.