Entrepreneur, I know you have to work hard and work smart, you also need to be still and take a break.
Entrepreneurs are an interesting group of people. I am an entrepreneur, I know of what I speak. Entrepreneurs often must think quickly and move even faster. If the entrepreneur is heading a small business, a growing business or a growing business, she often must do most things herself. As a result, these entrepreneurs are busy. It doesn’t matter if they are at work or at home, there is always a lot to do and the entrepreneur must do it. Entrepreneurs are busy people.
If you follow social media, you see entrepreneur groups where entrepreneurs brag about being part of #TeamNoSleep. Glory, praise, and compliments are given to entrepreneurs who work non-stop, do not sleep and are dedicated to their work. On the surface, at a quick glance that may be seen as a good idea. However, when you dig deeper, there are lots of problems with that way of running a business. Today, I encourage entrepreneurs to simply be still, to take time to simply be.
When was the last time you stopped, not just to smell the roses, but just stopped?
My husband once remarked to me that in the thirty plus years has known me, he never saw my hands not moving. He saw me working, caring for our caldron, knitting, or turning the pages of a book. He said he never saw my hands simply sitting still. I have thought about those words many times since he said them and those words encouraged me to make a change. I have decided that I will take time each day for my hands to simply be still.
We all have been told to stop and smell the roses. That is a good idea, but it is not enough. As entrepreneurs, we must make sure we take time to simply stop. Literally S T OP. I am a church girl as well as an entrepreneur, so I am familiar with the words of the Bible that say on the seventh day God rested. Today while doing my morning Bible reading, I came across the words in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”
As entrepreneurs we must stop glorifying the idea of #TeamNoSleep. We must realize that we need rest, downtime, and idle moments. It is not optional for us to rest, to take time off, to simply sit still. It is an important part of the entrepreneurial process.
