Don’t Destroy Your Future “Why Character and Balance are important in Sustaining and Building Your Business”
by Monica Jackson
First impressions are lasting impressions. Let’s take a moment to look at your business from a dating perspective. What does dating and business have to do with one another you may ask? Well just bear with me for a moment while I explain this analogy. When you first start dating, you give the side of yourself that you want people to see, especially if you really like the person. You ask questions that helps you to find out what exactly it is that this person is looking for, and then unknowingly to you, your actions begin to act in a manner that will win them over. You unconsciously begin to do things that will be appealing and attractive to the other person. This can be great in the beginning, but if you aren’t honest with yourself about what you really want, the light on the honeymoon will begin to fade and quickly go completely out. Business practices are no different.
Think about the many ideas you had or still may have before buckling down to open the doors of your business. You may have said or done anything you thought potential clients or customers wanted, just to get business. The problem, besides the fact you need steady income, is that you have to think past the moment, further down the line. Don’t think about only “getting the job.” Though you may work really hard, doing what you think other want, you may soon discover it’s not what you want. One thing you can’t fake is your character. You may be a hard worker, often taking on more than others, rarely looking for rewards or praises but simply doing what needs to be done. You may be timely and honest, helping others and serving as a team player, ultimately with the feeling of giving 200%. Does this sound like you? Does your character and reputation align?
Balance is a bit different. When working hard to establish a brand and build a business, one can often lack balance. Do you find yourself often bringing work home, or working at the office 10-14 hours a day? Have you limited social time with family and friends or missed special events either because you were too tired, or priorities at work kept you busy? If so, you’ll find that you will soon begin to burn out quickly. That is, if you haven’t already. The truth of the matter is that when you don’t have a healthy work-life balance, your character also begins to suffer. You become someone you’re really not. You don’t find time to eat, rest is far from reachable, and your personal priorities begin to take a backseat to your career and business goals. Stress takes over and we get “out of character” as some may say. Now if this out of character person, or your “representative” as I playfully call them, comes out, what will others think? How do you fix this you may ask? I have outlined a few practices to consider whether you’re in business for yourself or you’re an employee working for someone else.
You can find out the few practices in our upcoming issue of Unique Access. Subscribe Now
