You spend a lot of time and energy working IN your business. You most likely went into business so you can do the thing you love. From cooking excellent food, helping people build their financial security, making the best widgets, or, like me, helping people live more successful, happier lives. You soon found you had to spend time, energy and money working ON your business to make it grow - - getting clients or customers, prospecting, advertising, selling, hiring and managing staff. These issues are urgent and demand your attention. But there is a part of your business that is more important. In fact, it is the most important part of your business. It is the foundation of your business. Have you ever asked yourself, what is the foundation of your business, that which everything else depends and without it being strong and vital, your business would seriously suffer? If you think about it, that vital foundation is you. If you have uncertainties about running your business, will this not show up in how well your business goes? If you lack focus, will not your business lack focus and your prospective customers feel uncertain of your services or products? If you are inefficient, is not your whole organization inefficient and hurting? Are you, like most business owners, so caught up in the daily business activities that you neglect the vital foundation of your business - - YOU? Picture it this way. Imagine a rectangle representing the foundation of your business, you. Resting on and being supported by that rectangle is a square that represents your business. You work IN your business. You work ON you business. But how much time do you work on the foundation of your business? Keeping yourself healthy and energetic is essential. Even more important is keeping yourself psychological fit - - sharp, optimistic, clear, focused, unstressed and happy. You know you do better work in such an emotional state. You dramatically increase the chances for success and survival of your business. Leading a balanced life contributes to this result. Is marriage and family life fulfilling and supportive? Are you at peace with your conscience and spirit? Are you recreating your life with recreation -- having fun? This is a mutually supporting system. You probably went into business hoping to provide the material things to make a happily balance life. At the same time, a happily balance life contributes to the success of your business. If you had a ten million dollar race horse, would you not feed him properly, exercise him, make sure he got rest, was well groomed and cared for? Would you not reduce all conceivable stress so he would function at his peak? Are you not worth more than a ten million dollar horse? Take extreme care of your business's foundation, which translates into extreme self-care. Self-care is what Stephen Covey calls Important but Not Urgent. Do not wait until illness, threat of divorce, truancy reports, or depression marks it as Urgent. It may not seem Urgent now, but it is IMPORTANT. Put the care of yourself and your family first. Put it on the top of your to do list. When you do this, you are not taking way resources from your business. You are making the prime mover of your business more efficient and effective.
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