Personal Inventory
In this series of blogs we have been looking at personal development…building your interior resources so to speak. Since YOU are the one who is in charge of and responsible for the business I recommend that you take a personal inventory at least once a year.
There are four health categories to consider: Physical health, mental health, emotional health and spiritual health.
Physical Health
This is pretty strait forward. When was the last time you had a physical? When was the last time you had a stress test? Are you healthy in an average sort of way…statistically speaking. Nothing wrong with average if that is OK with you, but I can tell you that the stressors of owning and running your own business will be more than you ever imagined.
Being physically fit and staying fit will be a great resource for you both in the short and long run. Can you dedicate at least an hour a day to aerobic and strength training? The latest research seems to say that’s what is called for in today’s world to be able to deal with all the stress coming at us. Remember life is a long distance run not a rat race.
Mental Health
Is your brain working well? How you learn and move through life solving problems, making plans, executing plans and keeping track of all that is going on in your life and your business is part of your mental health checkup. Thinking about this can make your head hurt. We may not be able to grow smarter brain cells but we can learning from our mistakes and keep up by reading and researching those topics most relevant to us and our business. With age (if we’re lucky) may come wisdom.
Emotional Health
Staying emotionally balanced can be a challenge when things are not going as you planned or hoped. Having a person or persons around you to support you through tough times is a must. Trusting someone to be there for you emotionally, to share your struggles and successes is mandatory. Some include therapy in our health support system. There are many worthwhile therapies that can be useful. If you feel that you are “losing it” then get help sooner not later.
Spiritual Health
This area is more often not looked at or discounted as being important to your business. For some this health is the most important health of all for others not so much. However, to ignore your interior world of beliefs is to be not prepared for the challenges life may present to you. This is multiplied by ten for those of us who aspire to own our own business. Spending an hour or so a week might be enough for you but for me I need daily time with the deeper (higher) part of myself. I chose meditation and walks in nature are my prime elixirs.
Humanss are complex and may be becoming more complex over time. Indeed, the world is getting more complex and we will not be going back to a simpler time as we sometime wish. So showing up to be and do the best we can by being conscious of the present moment, letting go of outcome, and by speaking our truth without blame or judgment gives us a good chance at reaching our goals in life and in business.
Keep on keeping on…
