Recently, the Good Day Mompreneurs got together to rehearse a new episode of our show. The question before us, penned by our own Julia Rymut, was:
“Imagine that you have had a day where your blog has had technical glitches, your consulting client didn’t show up, your child was sick last night so you didn’t get good sleep and you have a deadline for a client tomorrow. What is your best tip for dealing with this stress?”
It just so happened that I was having such a day. Not only was my daughter was coming off of a 103 degree fever, I had four clients that needed work done ASAP, and one of my client’s blogs was having issues with the hosting account, but my husband had came home the day before with a rescue puppy and then left for a week-long scouting trip. (My husband is still in the dog house over this one, by the way!) Oh, and did I mention that the toilet in one of my rental houses had a crack in it and needed to be replaced? Talk about stress.
How did I handle all of that, you ask? Well…
When days like this happen–and they do happen–I am reminded to SLOW DOWN and put first things first. So, after the boys were on their way, I got out the stack of library books we hadn’t gotten to yet, and spent time cuddling and reading to my girls. Then I talked to them about my day and how I was really going to need help with the puppy. We made several agreements ahead of time around the fact that Mommy was going to need some head space.
Also, I drank plenty of water and made sure that I was eating the healthiest possible foods, a habit I had gotten into with my raw foods diet anyway, but felt especially motivated to enforce during this trying period.
But what about the deadlines I was facing? Of course they were in the back of my mind. It helped that I knew that I would have the quiet morning hours of the next day to fill in for whatever I couldn’t manage right then and there.
However, the thing I find about deadlines is that they come and go and by that time, you are usually done. If not, you just make other arrangements. As mompreneurs, we have to plan on things happening that may take precedence over our businesses.
So there you have it–Rana’s version of balance. It has taken me a while to get to this place. If you stick around, you will get there, too. If all else fails, remember to breathe. You will be just fine. I promise.
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Climb a mountain!
I used to climb mountains all the time before having a child and a home based business. Today I climbed a big one..over 13,000 feet with a ridge line that took an hour to walk. Talk about getting clarity on one’s priorities and making sense of the often confusing and overwhelming aspects of balancing mom, wife and business owner. There is nothing like literally being high up in the sky, with no sound but the wind, to still the mind and clear the senses.
No mountains where you live? Find the prettiest, quietest place outside in nature that you can. And leave the cell phone and children at home!
Deborah