You are your business’s most important asset.
As an entrepreneur, your success is dependent not just on your client list and revenue numbers, it’s also dependent on things like your attitude, your ability to take action, and whether or not you balance the different aspects of your life well.
Successful entrepreneurs don’t just aim to run healthy businesses; they also aim to run healthy lives. Learning how to better manage your health, your mind, and your stress will ultimately make you a better business owner because, as an entrepreneur, you are your business.
Here are some lifestyle habits that successful people have in common that can help propel your business to another level, if you apply them.
1.They make sleep a priority. When you think of entrepreneurs, you may think of “hustle.” But successful people know how important rest is. You learn quickly that consistent, quality sleep is what allows you to be productive (and hustle!) day after day.
2. They take care of their bodies. Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly are priorities. Educate yourself on what “healthy” really means (both mentally and physically), and create habits that serve you for the long run. If you believe that “being healthy” means getting up at 5 am, doing an hour of cardio, and then preparing and cooking a healthy breakfast, you will resist being “healthy,” because who has time for that?!? But if you make it easier to be healthy by making better choices for yourself more often – for example, taking a short walk each day to get some fresh air, stretch yourself out, and work your muscles or eating a piece of fruit every day – you are well on your way to better health! Start there. It doesn’t take much, but what it does take is little things done consistently.
3. They take care of their minds. Just as you feed your body healthier options, it is important to feed your mind the same. Make a habit of participating in things that motivate you, make you feel more positive, and allow for your creativity to come through. Listen to a motivational podcast, read an inspirational book, schedule a call with someone to discuss topics of interest. What are you feeding your mind? Use your downtime to feed your mind healthy things and it will help you avoid going to the more draining activities we sometimes get pulled towards, like mindless social media scrolling. As the saying goes, ‘garbage in, garbage out!’
4. They have a hobby. If all you do is work, work, work, you will burn out, lose creativity, and may end up not reaching your goals; work becomes work, not your passion. As an entrepreneur, the whole point is that you don’t just go work for someone else. You could do that at any time, but you don’t. Why not? Because there is energy, excitement, passion and desire when you do it on your own. If you make it a chore, those things will never help inspire and motivate you.
5.They never stop learning. Entrepreneurs tend to be life-long learners. They read, pay attention to current trends, learn from other peoples’ stories and have conversations with people who know more than them. One of the main things that the most successful people in the world have in common is that they are students before anything else.
6.They surround themselves with positive people. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people and identify and avoid toxic people in your life. Remember, not everyone who starts with you on the journey is going to end the journey with you, and that’s ok.
7. They are team players. Yes, even as an entrepreneur or solopreneur, you have a ‘team,’ a network, and collaborators. Even if your business is just you, building relationships is the name of the game. Spend time every week interacting with others (online is fine!) and sharing your knowledge.
8. They take action. Too much time spent thinking or talking about things will never get those things accomplished. The only way to get things done is to DO them. Take action – learn from it – and then take action again (making any adjustments that make sense to make).
9. They starve self-doubt and fear. Oh, it will be there, but you don’t have to feed it! Make a point to acquire coping mechanisms to handle and manage stress, and learn how to “not sweat the small stuff.”
10. They set goals in all areas of their lives (not just work). Creating balance is foundational to long-term success. If all you do is work, you will miss out on so much of your actual life. The concept of ‘work/life’ balance is about giving all of the important areas of your lifetime. Think about what those areas are for you; they can be family, kids, hobbies, self-care/”me time,” reading, cooking, playing a sport, talking with friends, taking a class, learning, volunteering…the list is endless. Giving your time and attention to the things outside of work that are meaningful to you are the things that will bring that much more energy and meaning to your work.
11. They plan and stay organized. Taking time to know what you are doing when you wake up in the morning will save you a lot of time! That’s why planning is on this list. As the advice goes, plan your work and work your plan. Having things thought out in advance will help you stay on track. Have a bad day or an unproductive week? Just get right back in the saddle (your plan) and start riding again!
These lifestyle habits can help take you to the next level, not only in your business, but in all aspects of your life. That’s why, in designing my 2021 planner for entrepreneurs, I have included opportunities to make doing all of this easy!
Pick one and just start! Once you’ve mastered that habit, pick another one and begin. Before you know it, you will find the power of successful habits, and how they can propel you to a new level.