Treat Yourself

So, I’m going to take you on a brief walk down memory lane today.  Back to Forest Hills, Queens. It’s Mother’s Day 2011 and I am in labor.  My son was due about 4 days earlier, but I had been in such discomfort for so many weeks, I was convinced he was coming two weeks early.  SO convinced that I told my mom she should come up from Florida early because I was sure he was coming early.  She had been in NY for about 10 days at that point. By all accounts, this baby was late.  

My first baby was born exactly on her due date, and arrived quickly.  SO quickly, in fact, that there was no time for an epidural before she was born. A little back story: The hospitals in the area were overcrowded.  The doctors insisted that you wait until your contractions were like 5 minutes apart, called the doctor and THEN WAITED FOR THE DOCTOR TO CALL YOU BACK before heading to the hospital.  I did this the first time around, but didn’t want to get stuck in that situation.  I knew that once I was in labor, I would have to act quickly to get to the hospital. And, since it was Mother’s Day, I thought to myself “I’m going to treat myself to an epidural.”  The moment I realized I was in labor, I called the doctor, and we left for the hospital. I knew I didn’t have time to wait if I wanted to “treat myself.”

Nearly twelve years later, I realize how absurd it is to consider an epidural a “treat”.  A splurge, if you will! But, as a wife and a mom with a demanding full time job, I was so accustomed to putting my own basic needs last that I considered a medically-provided treatment to stop the absolutely excruciating pain of childbirth as “a treat”.

I see this parallel quite a bit with business owners too.  You put everything you’ve got into making your business a success. In the beginning, your funds are so limited, so you do everything yourself.  Eventually, the business grows and you’re pulled in so many different directions, something has to give.  My recommendation is to take a step back and “treat yourself” to help.  

If there is an ongoing issue in your business that consistently causes you stress, it’s worth your time and money to seek out the help you need.  Don’t forget to- as they say – put on your oxygen mask first. If you’re being pulled in too many different directions, your business and/or personal life will eventually suffer. Go back to the reason why you started your business in the first place.  There are probably a bunch of reasons why you decided to take the leap and start your own business. “Feeling stressed all the time” was probably not on the list.

Whether you need help with your website, an extra set of hands in your day-to-day work, help with bookkeeping… Whatever it is–it’s probably not actually a “treat” when you think about it.  It’s the help you need at the time you need it, and no one can fault you for asking for that.

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