No doubt about it: Being an entrepreneur is REALLY hard work.
When you’re passionate about your business and your vision, it’s all-to-easy to fall into a routine of 15-hour work days, take-out Chinese, and never-ending to-do lists. You feel guilty if you aren’t glued to your computer, hammering away at your next big project or idea. After all, every entrepreneur understands that there is constantly something more you could be doing to scale your empire and your impact.
But here’s the thing. This constant hustle and bustle isn’t sustainable—or profitable—for your business in the long-term.
I am telling you this from first-hand experience. My business didn’t seriously take off and reach six figures until I began to schedule in down time to replenish and recharge.
Making self-care and time off a priority is one of the single most important things you can do for you and your business.
I practice this myself, and I tell it to all of my clients. Personal retreats, vacations and digital detoxes will do WONDERS for your life if you are willing to commit to them.
1. To Reflect
What do you want out of your life and business? No seriously—what is it you REALLY want?
What is your purpose? Is the work you are currently doing in complete alignment with this purpose and why you are here on this Earth?
Are you in alignment with your unique gifts and talents? Those abilities only you have that you are meant to share with the world?
We all get so busy that we forget to PAUSE and REFLECT on these crucial questions. Enter the value of taking time off.
The journey of an entrepreneur is a constant, winding road. Your purpose today may not be the same as when you began your business a few months or years ago, and that’s okay. The key is to allow ourselves those precious moments of mindfulness when we can reassess and realign if need be.
2. To Recharge
It’s so true. We are human beings, not human doings. Yet, when you look around at our culture, it is clear that we often value busyness over stillness.
However, just as a battery needs to take a break to recharge, so you need to take time off to replenish. Retreats are one of the best ways to give yourself this time and space to fuel up for more epic transformation. To think, relax, check back in with your soul, and tune-in to that big WHY (as Simon Sinek likes to say.)
Allowing yourself time off to recharge is also critical for your health and well-being. The negative effects of stress and burn-out are no secrets, and should not be taken lightly.
3. To Inspire
Travel is scientifically proven to be one of the key components to happiness. What’s more, traveling to different places inspires us to get out of our comfort zone and look at the world from a new perspective.
You never know what inspiration for your life and business can strike when you are having an adventure. Travel helps you to create fresh, innovative ideas. It allows you to tap into your place in this world, perhaps uncovering a mission or purpose you would never have known if you had stayed on familiar ground.
Travel is also a compelling way to reconnect with the big-picture. To let go of our ego and tap into the overwhelming beauty that surrounds us at any given moment.
Just remember that you don’t necessarily have to go far. Simply getting out of your backyard can be a fabulous way to take time off and get inspired by new people, places, flavors, and cultures.
4. To Connect
Leave the technology behind and get ready for powerful, in-person conversations and connections that can completely change your life.
Especially if you choose to reflect and recharge on a group entrepreneur retreat, the people who surround you will be the perfect mirrors, reflecting back at you what you cannot see otherwise.
My boyfriend recently told me a story about how one single conversation led to a life-long friendship—and ultimately changed the entire trajectory of his business.
This lasting impact would not have occurred if he had stayed in his office all day, every day. Get away to go within, but also to meet new people you might not have had the epic opportunity to come across any other way.
5. To Breathe
Simply put, taking time off is essential if we really, truly want to live.
Just like we need air, we need down time. We need vacations and retreats to breathe, to be at our peak…to perform at our highest functioning.
Once you begin to set these rituals for down time, it will become increasingly evident just how necessary it is to value your time off.
The key to taking time off is to schedule it into your business calendar right now. Just as you would with launches, projects and client work, actually look at your 2016 calendar and decide when you will take time for self-care and transformation.
You don’t have to travel halfway around the world to take time off. Start small, maybe with just one hour a week where you disconnect completely. Get quiet and go out in nature. Soak in a bubble bath with a cup of tea. The key is to let go of what you have to do and enjoy the big, beautiful world you’re living in right now. Then, allow yourself more time and space to continue to reflect, unwind, regroup and realign.
You’ll make more money, but what’s even more important is you’ll be happier doing the work you love.
If you don’t value time off, then you’ll start to miss the little blessings that make life worth living.
I go on a new adventure every three to four months, ideally a personal retreat or group retreat. This past summer I spent two-weeks in (mostly) solitude at a luxury resort in Cyprus. I saw so much in my life and business that wasn’t aligned with my ultimate dreams. And then I used that to regroup, coming home more rested and ready to make HUGE changes happen.
I recommend entrepreneurs schedule in time off multiple times a year. As we’re finishing up 2015 and approaching the holiday season, I hope you’re taking time RIGHT NOW to decompress and rest, and spend time with the people you love in the places you love.
When will you get away from distractions, daily chaos, email and social media in 2016? Make your commitment now and share it in the comments below so we can keep one another accountable 🙂
I’m now taking applications for the 2016 Trailblazer’s Retreat in Costa Rica!
Expect the most amazing, powerhouse workshop leaders for this fantastic curated Trailblazer tribe immersion event. It’s going to be the last—and most epic—one of its kind, so if this opportunity is calling to you, don’t wait!
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[…] a loaded question. After all, I truly believe in the power of immersion retreats for total well-being, connection and success. And the environment you choose to host your retreat plays a fundamental […]