“So what is the one thing you think helped your business grow in the last 12 months?” asked a coaching client as we wrapped up our session last month.

I’m sure she expected me to give her some killer marketing advice or ninja sales techniques. Because she was pretty surprised when I said “Self-care. Taking better care of my body and soul is what helped me scale, grow, exceed goals with ease.”

It’s the truth.

Self-care is probably the single most important business building strategy that I can recommend. P.S. That’s why I’m inviting you to join me and other mama entrepreneurs for a 14-day FREE eCourse NOURISH. Click here to join in. We start July 1st!

It is the fuel that keeps your fire burning.

It is the crystal that brings clarity when you need it the most.

It is that secret weapon that gives you the power to fight failure, exhaustion, rejection and everything else that being an entrepreneur can throw at you.

How do I know?

I know because I’ve experienced first-hand the benefits of caring for myself and seeing it translate into business growth.

I know because I’ve also experienced the impact that burnout can have when I neglect to nourish my mind, body and soul.

How Exactly Does Self-Care for Entrepreneurs Help

Sometime last year, I was exhausted and overwhelmed. I was also blessed with a ton of client work and was tearfully wondering why did I feel the way I did.

I should have been glowing with gratitude and hopping around like the Duracell bunny. Instead, all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry or sleep or both.

So, I did what I usually do. Talk to Mayank and he, in his ever-wise way, reminded me that I’d been running myself ragged and wasn’t eating properly, exercising or doing the things that I usually love to do because I was in ‘busy’ mode.

It hurt. The truth does. But it made sense. The truth does 😉

Anyhow, I pressed pause and took time off.

Recharged, replenished and renewed myself.

When I came back, I was clear-headed, focused, passionate all over again, highly motivated and was able to knock off way more than ever.

Regular nourishment of yourself is what gives you the energy to deal with everyday challenges.

Weaving in threads of self-care into the fabric of your schedules will ensure that you can pull through periods of intense busywork {because honestly, it WILL happen} with ease and without snapping off family members’ heads.

Bottomline: Your business and home need you to take care of yourself. I think Lucas Carlson sums it up best when he says…

 “Your startup is a reflection of you. So, if you’re working yourself to death, you’re working your company to death.” ~Lucas Carlson, Finding Success in Failure

What Does Self Care for Entrepreneurs Look Like

So, what does self care for entrepreneurs look like?

Does it mean sipping a glass of wine at the end of the day?

Does it include laying in the bathtub without cries of “Mommy, I need this now”?

Does it involve going to bed early?

Does it mean you eat raw foods and ditch the processed?

Yes… AND… no. Gotcha, didn’t it? 😉

Yes.. Self-care for entrepreneurs is like business planning for entrepreneurs. It’s different and it’s the same.

There is a blueprint but the actual strategies and steps you take look different.

The blueprint for entrepreneurial self-care looks something like this:

Respect Your Body

Respecting your body includes everything that makes your body feel wonderful and function optimally.

It can include:

Eating right

Sleeping on time

Staying hydrated

Ditching processed foods

Quitting sugar

Using essential oils

Exercising regularly

Getting massages

Taking multivitamins, if needed

Getting regular physicals done

Yes, everything that feeds your physical body with good health and infuses you with that boost of energy and enthusiasm.

Honor Your Soul

Honoring your soul means tuning inwards and spending time on activities that nourish the creative, free-spirited, fun-loving, footloose and fancy-free side of you.

It means:

Going back to hobbies you may have neglected

Chatting with friends who inspire you

Reading books that encourage or entertain you or do both

Going outside to experience the wonders of Nature and soaking it in

Taking a holiday and really, shutting off from Facebook and the online world

Dressing up for work everyday, if you enjoy that

Feed Your Mind

Our mind is one of our most powerful assets and if we let it run away, it can be quite tricky to get it back.

Feeding your mind with positive nourishment gives you courage when you need it most, focus when you find yourself getting pulled into rabbit holes and peace when things get overwhelming.

You can feed your mind by:

Journaling

Quiet time

Meditating

Prayer

Affirmations

Vision boarding

Doodling and coloring

Solving puzzles and playing mind exercising games

 Nourish Mind, Body and Soul Regularly

As you can see, the blueprint includes your mind, body and soul. What activities you choose to practice your unique form of self-care falls on you.

You know yourself best and if this is very new to you, it may take experimenting with a few things before you find a self-care routine that fits you perfectly.

If you’re worried about the time it’ll take start small. I started by adding one small self-care step to my daily routine every month. Just one thing.

The next month, I continued with that and added another. Bit by bit, I filled my well.

I’m ready to help YOU add those supershots of self care to your life and help you be more productive, peace-filled and of course, profitable for your biz too.

 

Join me for a FREE 14-day eCourse, NOURISH in which we’ll cover bite-sized self-care solutions from all 3 areas of the Blueprint. None of these will take more than 10 to 15 minutes and most of them will use everything that you already have around you or with you. Yes, self care that’s simple is self-care that gets done. Ready? Click here to join. We start July 1^st!