Work & Life Balance

Hi beauty!

Today we’re talking about work/life balance.

If you’re like 66% of workers or 82% of entrepreneurs - you’re likely overworking yourself.

Don’t really know where I got those numbers, but I’m pretty sure they’re super scientific & totally fact-checked.

That means you’re putting in long days working when you don’t have to.

Hear me out.

You may be overworking because…

• You feel like you’ll get more done if you put in more time.
• The harder you work, the more you’ll make.
• If you do everything all at the same time, then you’ll be more successful.
• Everyone works like this, so it’s completely normal.
• My employees, my partner, my boss or insert name here is putting pressure on me.

Bleck.

That all sounds really disempowering if you ask me.

Here’s the real deal… you should only be working as much as you WANT to… yeah, I said it - you get to decide how much you work. And only when you WANT to work.

When I realized this… my whole life changed.

My working environment changed, my income changed, my happiness changed, my relationships changed & I myself changed from the inside out.

It’s funny - because I actually started working more hours, but it became more fulfilling than ever before!

It’s not about the time investment - it’s the passion & joy you experience within that time.

What happens when you take complete ownership of your choices & decide to do only those things that you WANT to do?!

You start to realize that every single thing you do, every decision you make & the resultant circumstances in your life are 100% up to you.

Dang. That’s a lot of responsibility. BUT - it’s also incredibly freeing.

And if you’re anything like me, freedom is one of your top priorities & values.

So, at this point you’re probably thinking - Michelle, what are you getting at here?

Well, what if I told you there was a whole world of DIFFERENT out there waiting to be lived?

And what do I mean by different - I mean, you don’t have to keep slogging away at 8, 10, 12 or 16-hour days anymore. You don’t have to sacrifice time with your family, friends or put your health to the wayside while you build a successful online business or the career you’re ultimately paving…

What happens when you realize that top leaders, successful entrepreneurs & CEOs are actually starting to prioritize a more conscious living approach to their work/life balance?

Prominent figures like Tim Ferris, creator of the 4-hour workweek, author, investor & podcast genius.

Or maybe you’ve heard of Arianna Huffington, co-creator of the Huffington Post, author, speaker & founder of Thrive.

Or Jay Shetty, monk turned serial entrepreneur & storyteller.

All wealthy, healthy & mindful individuals.

Examples of those who decided “the grind” wasn’t the way for them…

And it doesn’t have to be that way for you either.

There are other methods of work, productivity & setting up efficient systems that will change your life for the better.

Promise.

Systems & methods that actually improve your ability to focus, to get more done in less time AND to get back to those things you love… all through simple healthy habits & systems.

Wooo!

We’re not in the age of put your head down, do the work, graduate college & get a good job.

NOTHING is guaranteed anymore.

No path is clearly laid out for you - unless maybe you come from a long line of lawyers or family wealth & inheritance.

That must be nice. Props.

And that’s awesome, but for most of us, it’s not quite so simple.

We have a bigger world of opportunity laid out before us now more than ever before.

And guess what - with opportunity comes choices.

And choices can be challenging.

Choices open you up to saying HELL YES or HECK NO.

You are the one that gets to decide where you invest your time, your energy & your resources.

Exhilarating but daunting all at once.

So how do you choose?

How do you start to decide where you spend your time, put your focus & what do you intentionally cultivate with your limited energy.

Because ultimately, we have finite amounts of energy, attention & decision-making faculties.

Alright, so if you’ve made it this far, you’ve been in the camp of “hustle your face off & it will all pay off.”

Well, I’m calling BULLSHIT on that one.

If it was working hard that made all the difference, every other person on this planet would be a lifestyle millionaire.

But sadly, that’s just not the case.

So what does it take to succeed?

Particularly if you’re in my audience of online entrepreneurs creating a business online…

Well, I can confidently say that after 5 years in business I’ve picked up a thing or to & have realized this is what it takes:

• Passion - you have to start with something you’re passionate about, because it will get real old - real fast if you don’t. Something you love that will actually make money - so make sure you have a market for it & it’s not something like how you pet your cat with a unique petting style. Okay - that could actually work. Anyway.
• Resilience - you’ve got to be able to get knocked down & back up again. Like expect failure - a lot of failure. But, on the other side of failure is … yeah, more failure. Hm. I feel like this was supposed to be motivating & inspirational. If you actually do fail a lot - every once in a long while you’ll see some success & hey, that’s worth something. Gold star.
• Consistency - just like with failure, you’re going to have to keep showing up. Yes, it can totally be how you choose to show up. But like it or not - we’ve got to stay consistent in doing the work. Showing up for ourselves, our work & others… You can’t run or avoid this one - trust me, I’ve tried.
• And last, but certainly not least… Belief. Belief in yourself & your ability to succeed.

Now, what do all of these have in common?

I wish it was the first letter of the word & then there’d be some alliteration, but no - alas - it’s actually that they’re all psychological… not tactical strategy.

If you were paying attention.

Were you?

If you were paying attention you would have noticed that it had nothing to do with steps, how-to, strategy, approach, software, apps, early mornings, hacks, technology or connections.

NOPE.

Just good old fashioned psychology.

Literally how you think about yourself, how you think about the world & how you apply those thoughts to the things you’re thinking about thoughtfully.

Okay… at this point, you may be wondering - Michelle - WTF are you even talking about?!

Well, back to this idea of work/life balance.

Ultimately, you get to decide how you show up in the world & you know what - I’m going to challenge you to start thinking differently about that.

You can have work/life balance!

You can take care of yourself.

You can secure mental, physical & emotional health all whilst working towards your dreams without the sacrifice.

If anything, you’ll actually get there faster & the journey will be a lot more rewarding.

So let’s start by ending this narrative together.

Repeat after me:

I, sing your name, do not have to hustle my face off in order to succeed.

I can find balance, harmony & smashing results when I treat myself well.

I am passionate, resilient, consistent & most of all… I believe in myself fully.

Now take a deep breath & let it all out.

Feels good huh?

If you’ve been wondering how to make it all happen while staying sane & relatively happy, stay tuned because I’ve got a lot of content mapped out for you that is going to just knock your little llama socks right off.

Looking forward to bringing you more philosophical chats on business ownership, self-care practices & how to give less fucks about people-pleasing so you can finally start living your life.

Oh - and yeah, bladdity bladdity blah I’ll also be talking a lot about strategy & online marketing systems through automation.

See you soon.