While I love it most of the time, setting up and running a business is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And at least once a year, I’ve thought about packing it all in.
I teach people how to switch off, how to enjoy time away from work, how to trust themselves to try new things… and yet these things do not come easily to me.
And that makes running a business hard.
On paper at least, it feels like there’s not much to do; maybe one event a month, a call or two a week, then periodically write about something I’m hugely passionate about. Piece of cake!
Somehow it’s not always that easy.
In between working, my mind’s trying to think about how I can make things better and all the other things that need doing, like accounts and invoices and updating the webpages and the constant niggle of self-doubt of “who even am I to do this?!”
I’m not being productive, I don’t do my best work, and I’m certainly not enjoying my free time with my kids, friends and husband (or my work tbh!).
Then I have to use all the strategies I teach others to rein it back in.
Sometimes, the fact I find it hard to let go of things and switch off then makes me doubt my ability to even teach this. Eventually I remember that’s WHY I’m good at teaching this; because I find it so hard.
It does not come naturally to me to slow down, to focus on one thing at a time, to believe I’m good at things. That might not be obvious when you look at me now, but it’s taken a lot of mental work to get here.
Why am I sharing this?
Even though I find it hard and genuinely think about stopping sometimes, the reason I won’t is because I love it enough to keep going through the hard periods. I didn’t have that feeling when I worked in veterinary practice. Find your thing, and with the right tools, you’ll get through anything and it is SO worth it.
You need the right tools. More than once, I’ve made myself chuckle when I’ve realised I couldn’t have become a mindfulness coach without employing a lot of mindfulness myself.
Just because you find it hard to slow down, switch off, believe in yourself etc. doesn’t mean it’s not possible. While I still find it hard sometimes in relation to my business, my mindset is lightyears away from where it was 10 years ago. It is possible to change.
If you’ve ever got any questions about mindfulness and how it works in practice (or life!) you’re always welcome to send me a message. Or, if you want to learn more, check out my in-person CPD days (aka mini-retreats) and residential retreats below.
Sending love,
Lucy x
PS. I never know whether posts like this are helpful or not buuuuuut it feels important to me to share the realities of life and not just the “yay mindfulness makes everything better” version (although that’s true too!). So I hope you like it 😊
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