THE SH!TTY BELIEFS WE HAVE ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PRODUCTIVE & SUCCESSFUL
Many of the business women I know have come from corporate backgrounds. I myself, was a Social Worker for nearly a decade before deciding that it wasn’t right for me.
That’s a long time to have unhealthy mainstream beliefs about what it means to be productive and successful unconsciously hammered into your psyche.
In the corporate world, we are brain washed to believe that it’s the norm to:
Work 8+ hours a day
Be fast paced and outcomes focussed
Take one break and work for 3 to 4 hours straight on either side of it
Work through our menstrual cycle even when we’re in pain and severely lacking energy
Work in a very masculine way, with little regard to the strengths of the feminine (I’m referring to energy here, not gender).
The sad thing is that when women leave their corporate jobs to start something of their own, they often takes these harmful beliefs and work practices with them.
So often, I have self-employed women messaging me, telling me how hard they find it to:
Take days off when they’re bleeding or unwell
Finish work ‘early’, even when they’ve expended their creativity and are no longer able to focus
Take an extended lunch break and enjoy lunch with a friend
Utilise their freedom and enjoy a long weekend away
Go to a late mid morning yoga class.
They feel guilty, lazy and ‘less than’.
They worry that they will fail and that they’re have to go back to working in a soulless job they don’t love.
But what if filling your ‘cup’ and honouring your needs, meant that you were more focussed and creative when you showed up in your biz?
What if taking time off on the first day of your bleed meant that you had more energy and stamina for the month ahead?
What if enjoying a nourishing activity in the middle of the day revitalised and re-energised you?
What if finishing work early when you’re feeling tired and ‘over it’ meant that you had more energy to draw upon the following day?
What if looking after yourself didn't impede the growth of your business, but rather, allowed it to flourish and expand?
I know, I know - at your core you know that this is the truth, but actioning it is another issue altogether. I get it because I’ve been there (and some days, I go back there!)
It’s hard to re-write the scripts we’ve created and it’s hard to undo the wiring.
But just like any behavioural change we make in our lives (like implementing an exercise regime or making peace with our anxiety), it can be done. They key is to do it slowly with a huge side serving of love, kindness and self acceptance.
What I see too often is women making these changes in their business - but only after they've completely burnt themselves out.
Their emotional health is shot, they can’t work because all their energy has to be put towards keeping their sh!t together and healing, and they have big BIG regrets.
So my question for you is this beauty … how do you want to feel in your business?
Stressed out, tired and depleted?
Or energetic, inspired and creative?
You will still get to where you want to be if you prioritise yourself. This I promise you.
The choice is yours.