Tend To You: It's Time for Self-Care

There are days when I look in the mirror and think, Girl. We need to do something.

Today is one of those days.

My skin looks dull. My toes are embarrassingly overdue. The circles under my eyes are telling a story that isn't even true because, for once, I have actually been sleeping!

I just don't feel like myself.

And my first instinct? Keep working. Because there's always something to do. An email to answer. A client project to finish. An idea that could make money. Something I could be creating, selling, fixing, building or planning.

When you're an entrepreneur, it can be incredibly difficult to tend to yourself without mentally calculating what that time is costing you.

I could be working right now. I could finish one more thing. I'll take care of myself after I get this done.

Except "after" has a funny way of becoming next week. And next week becomes next month. Meanwhile, we're giving the best of ourselves to everything we're building and surviving on what's left.

That's backwards.

So today, I'm tending to me. Nothing dramatic. I'm not disappearing to a luxury resort for seven days. I'm talking about slowing down long enough to notice what I need, and actually doing something about it.

Taking care of my skin. Doing my toes. Drinking some water. Taking my time with my hair.

Putting on something that makes me feel good. Maybe sitting somewhere quietly without convincing myself that I should be "accomplishing".

Because I've realized something: Taking care of yourself is not time away from your business. It's an investment in the person responsible for it. Read that again.

We invest in websites, marketing, software, equipment, coaches, conferences, employees, branding... but somehow, investing a few hours into restoring the woman responsible for carrying the vision can feel indulgent. It isn't.

Your business needs your ideas, yes. But it also needs your energy. Your confidence. Your creativity. Your clarity. Your peace.

And those things are difficult to continually pull from a woman who hasn't taken the time to replenish herself.

There will always be another task. There will always be another opportunity to make money. There will always be something that could justify putting yourself last. Don't.

Take the afternoon. Make the appointment. Close the laptop. Go for the walk. Take the nap. Wash your hair. Get your toes done. Buy the good lotion!

Whatever tending to yourself looks like today, do it without guilt. You are not being lazy.

You are not falling behind. And you don't need to earn the right to take care of yourself by first exhausting yourself. Sometimes the most responsible thing you can do for your business is tend to the person carrying it. Because without you... there is no business.

Today, I'm taking my own advice. The laptop is closing. These toes have waited long enough.

You've got this, RJ