This is a guest post by Tania Dakka.
Three projects due today. One tomorrow. And you intended to send out LOIs this week, too.
You’re on the verge of burnout, but you can’t stop now. Missing a deadline isn’t an option. Your reputation is at stake. This is your life. Every day. Every week.
Business can’t go on like this.
When you’re trying to build your business, all you can see is “get more clients, get more clients, get more clients.” You do everything you can to get your name out to your right tribe. You spend your “free” time on social media trying to network with people in and out of your industry trying to make connections that will grow your livelihood.
The rest of the day is spent trying to produce work for the clients you do have and keep them happy. (We won’t even go into the condition of the house and those beautiful kids sitting at your table, not-so-patiently waiting for dinner!)
The life of a freelancer is hard. Really hard.
You didn’t know starting a business that would allow you to work from the “comfort of your own home” would be so taxing. But it’s beyond taxing.
That’s why your health is so, so important.
You carry a tremendous amount of weight on your shoulders doing what you can to help with family finances, but you have to be able to bare that load or the whole thing will tumble down on your head.
And when you sit at your desk sipping latte after latte, throwing crap down your throat instead of nourishing foods, not exercising, not taking care of your body, you weaken the very foundation on which you’re trying to build that awesome freelance service.
I know, it’s just easier to function like that, right?
It’s easier to say “I don’t have time!” than it is to rearrange a few things and make time. (Honestly, how much do you need to rearrange for 15 minutes? I mean, you spend that much time playing with your inbox in the morning.) And the idea of expending more energy is as draining as actually doing it! So you make your excuses.
You can do it.
All you need is 15 minutes every day. That’s it. When you think about it, it’s not an optional investment when you invest your life in your freelancing career. It’s just a part of business.
When you stop looking at being fit as a way of life, but more like a way of business, you’ll make time for it. Because, you know, business is all there is. Right?
The secret to making lasting change in the way you run your business:
Make a promise to yourself, your family, and your business that you’ll invest 15 minutes in ANY exercise EVERY day and KEEP it. Maxing your heart rate for 15 minutes is best, but some days (especially if you’re just starting to establish this routine), you just won’t feel like starting.
But once you do, you’ll find you won’t want to stop. Many, many, many times I’ve stepped on the treadmill or turned on my Youtube boxing playlist with the mindset that I was only going to do it for 15 minutes, but then I didn’t even want the time to finish.
You see, exercise has this awesome way of making you feel good, but if you give in to the limiting belief that you don’t have the time or the energy, you’ll never give yourself the chance you need to find that out.
Stick to it.
You’ll eventually get into a rhythm where you find that you NEED that 15 minutes of exertion.
It works like this: Do i
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