Have you heard the saying, “you can have it all, but not all at the same time?”
Real talk - I used to try like hell to prove this wrong, but I found that I couldn’t by witnessing major burnout.
I wanted to start and grow a business AND have flexible hours with Ellie. I wanted this while Sean’s work schedule had him leaving on Monday and coming home late Thursday.
Sounds like a successful recipe, right?
While I thought I was doing a great job for a couple of years, I slowly started to feel more tired than normal, overly stressed, anxious, quick to snap... I think you get the picture. While I’m sure these things happened at work - I’m 100% sure they happened more at home. Sean and I had a come to Jesus talk because it was affecting our weekend family time.
I couldn’t have it all and (after many tapping sessions) I didn’t want to have it all. The black hole of a to-do list was so overwhelming it was like a freight train coming straight at me each and every day.
This caused me to really look at what I wanted to handle and how I wanted to show up both for home and for work.
This is the time I started to wonder if I actually wanted to keep the physical space of The Hatchery open. Don’t get me wrong, I freaking loved that space and what it created for people. And don’t get me wrong, I could have done a million things differently to have a different ending - but I didn’t and I’m not going to dwell on it.
Fast forward to now. I’ve dug into who I am, what I feel I can offer people, and how I can offer it. I’ve worked on my schedule and what I can actually accomplish to not overwhelm myself.
Do I want to put more hours into my business? Yes.
Do I want to take on waaay more clients? Yes.
But…
Do I want to be finished with work by the time I pick up Ellie? Yes.
Do I want to be able to take off Fridays to get away and spend the day with Sean? Yes.
So, in this “season” I’m taking on what I can with the time I have and reminding myself of all the cliche quotes:
“I’m exactly where I need to be”
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint”
“You can’t have your cake and eat it, too”
You know, all those things!
For those who are trying your damnedest to run a business, and a family, and your own self-care because you feel like you have to keep up with someone else out there - you don’t. Nobody is keeping score except for you.