Tweet

Cut yourself some slack

Written by: Leslie Gail

Article Overview: How many of you feel that you have so many different responsibilities in your life, that you cannot possibly make it all work. You may be focusing on work obligations while trying to keep your household up and running. All of this running around creates a feeling of hopelessness. I have seen it countless times with clients that try to do it all with enormous to-do lists, and in the end they feel like a failure. Sometimes I just need to remind them of the larger picture. When all is said and done, do you really think anyone is going to care that your home is spotless? Rather, what they will remember is how they felt in your presence, the memories you shared.

Cut yourself some slack

How many of you feel that you have so many different responsibilities in your life, that you cannot possibly make it all work. You may be focusing on work obligations while trying to keep your household up and running. All of this running around creates a feeling of hopelessness. I have seen it countless times with clients that try to do it all with enormous to-do lists, and in the end they feel like a failure. Sometimes I just need to remind them of the larger picture. When all is said and done, do you really think anyone is going to care that your home is spotless? Rather, what they will remember is how they felt in your presence, the memories you shared. Individuals are under an extreme amount of stress, with work, financial concerns, children, and the many responsibilities that we take on. I think the first step is to realize that you cannot possibly do everything for everyone. Sometimes you need to be willing to ask for help. Bring on a cleaning service. Order take out every now and then. Ask a friend to swap for childcare. Ask your spouse to plan a meal once a week or take the kids while you tidy up. I think it is also important to lower our expectations every now and then. Cooking a healthy home cooked meal every single night is a huge task in and of itself. This of course comes after a full day of work or activities around the children. I admit that I used to fall into this trap when my kids were younger. I felt guilty if I didn't plan every meal, sign them up for extracurricular activities, host playgroups, clean the home, and manage my own life on the side. After trial and error and a lot of inner searching, I realized it was absolutely ok to let the guilt go and just do my best. I was a much better mother and wife when I was able to put things in perspective and live more in the moment. The laundry eventually got done. My family was always fed healthy meals, whether home cooked or brought in. The world didn't come to an end if I didn't clean the bathroom spotless every week. So, my wish for you this week is to cut yourself some slack and look at the larger picture.

ACTION TIPS FOR THE WEEK:

1. Does it really matter?
This week when you find yourself stressing about getting everything done, just take a step back. Does what you are doing really matter all that much? Can you delegate to someone else? Can you ask for help? Can you put it off to a later date? Give yourself permission to take a breath and let some things go.

2. Superheroes don't exist
Sometimes we feel like we need to be superwoman or superman. We see other people doing it all and feel compelled to keep up with the Jones's. Let me be very clear. You do not need or cannot be superwoman and maintain it all. Something will give, and most likely it will be your health and happiness. Do your best and let some things go this week.

3. Take a break
When you feel caught up in doing everything for everyone, try to be aware enough to slow down and take a break. I used to feel guilty every time I would sit down and read a good book for 10 minutes. I would jump right up and get back to work. Now I realize the importance of taking some down time. It is a necessity not a moment of pampering. Take a break and enjoy it~

Related Articles
  Some Dangers of PERT Charts
  Moving at speed of light
  Where Is My Next Piece of Business Coming From?
  VIDEO CAMERA CARE & MAINTENANCE
  OUTCOME THINKING®: Getting Results Without The Boxing Gloves

Article Tags: cleaning service, countless times, extracurricular activities, failure, feeling of hopelessness, financial concerns, guilt, healthy meals, home cooked meal, household, laundry, memories, mother and wife, perspective, presence, stress, trial and error, work obligations



Related Forum Posts
Re: Moderators on vacation - Hi Everybody, I'm not on vacation; quite the opposite. I took on several extra classes this term at one of the colleges where I teach English without cutting myself any slack elsewhere in my schedule. It is proving to be a challenge to keep up with my games-shop orders and turn out articles for my PLR service so everything else is pretty much on hold right now... DH
Your own illness over business - Along with "major" problems with family members, another concern is your own health. Last week I was sicker'n a dog for two days, and lost a lot of time that I could ill afford. Since I'm an entrepreneur, all on my own, I had no one who could pick up the slack on my many projects. And I don't have long term health insurance, for if I'm involved in a car wreck, etc. (Knock on wood that doesn't happen.) But when you're the only one in your business, your health, and your health insurance, are important factors to consider.
Re: Trademark Question? Got a letter From Apple:( HELP! - [quote="opiidol":1vemkzpe]To tell you truth if they make me shut down everything that’s just not right. I’m 18 years old looking for some good experience and trying to make a living….. Why couldn’t they just give me some slack since they make billions of dollars…(':cry:') Hope to hear from you guys soon Thanks so much[/quote:1vemkzpe] Hi opiidol, While I sympathize for your situation, I think you should do as they requested and consider yourself lucky that they aren't suing you for a large sum of money. However, you shouldn't let this set back discourage your entrepreneurial endeavours and you should simply re-launch your business under a new name (and domain name). In the future, I'd encourage you to think of a new business name that doesn't contain any registered trademarks (especially well known ones). If you need some suggestions, feel free to ask and I'm sure the members of this forum community will be more than willing to help!
Chain store hurdles - [quote:3v8nzz4s]Everyone I'm targeting are independent stores which helps me overcome one hurdle. [/quote:3v8nzz4s] What hurdle is that? I know the major stores like B&N, etc. like to deal with buyers and distributors, but I think they all cut some slack to "Local" authors, don't they? Every store I go into has its "Local Section," featuring local authors, as well as books about the locality. I wouldn't bypass them altogether. If you drive past one, why not go in and visit, talk to the manager, see what they say? [quote:3v8nzz4s]Bookstores want to order through Bowkers and I have their info and the ISBN (identification) numbers for my books. [/quote:3v8nzz4s] You mean the major chain ones do, right? Independent stores I think have no problem dealing directly with the publisher/author. But you want to get your money up front if possible in case they go out of business....as too many independents do these days.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Providing Feedback

Unspoken Yet Important Rules for Book Proposals

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.