“If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me.”
During the month of March each year all across the United States, people celebrate Women’s History Month. This blog was created to encourage, inspire, and motivate people to be their best at work and home. During the month of March each year, we share quotes from Maya Angelou. Each quote is analyzed to show why Angelou’s words, written so long ago are appropriate for today’s entrepreneurs.
So, sit back read the beautiful words, then check out the analysis. Stay with us for the entire month and feel free to share your own interpretation in the comments. Today’s quote is:
“If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me.”
This quote is important because it has 3 lessons for entrepreneurs. These lessons are:
- Your business deserves respect.
- Treat your business as if it is a treasure.
- You teach people how to treat you by what you allow.
Your business deserves respect.
One of the first things an entrepreneur needs to learn is that her business deserves respect. It doesn’t matter if your business is brand new, has no employees, and is earning only $100 per month. It is still your business and you need to treat it with respect. Never despise small beginning. After all, the mighty oak tree grows from the small acorn!
When you treat your business with respect, you keep your advertised office hours. Show your business respect by giving it your best work. When it comes to customers, under-promise and over-deliver. Never do it the other way around. Show your business respect by paying attention to what is going on in your business. Show your business respect by always working to do things better and more efficiently. Your business deserves respect, never forget that.
Treat your business as if it is a treasure.
Your business is a treasure and it should be treated as one. If your business has no employees and you earn only $100 per month, it is still a treasure. It is a treasure because that $100 allows you to buy things and contribute to the economy. If your business has employees, when you pay them, you help provide for their families and you help them follow their own dreams. Your business buys goods and services – this helps the economy. Your business exists and you created it – this means your business is a role model or other entrepreneurs. In a capitalist society, businesses are valuable. This means your business is a treasure.
You teach people how to work with your business by what you allow.
People will interact with your business based on what you allow them to do. This means you should have standards when it comes to your business. If you are an entrepreneur who works from home, have time and space set aside for your business and make sure your family respects that time and space. If you have a brick and mortar workspace, treat it like a workspace. Make sure your office looks like a workplace and is not cluttered, unkempt, and in disrepair. If you have employees, make sure that they work to meet the standards you have set for your company. Hold yourself and your business to a high standard because what you do teachers others how to work with your business.
Never forget that Maya Angelou was correct when she said, “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me.” Also remember the 3 lessons for entrepreneurs that come from this quote: your business deserves respect, treat your business as if it is a treasure, you teach people how to work with your business by what you allow.