This is my first blog post for a while and the reason is because we have had about 10 days of sickness in our house. This has meant that I have stripped back my business to its bones to keep it going whilst focusing on the kids getting better.
This is my first bout of sickness as a business owner and it has been extremely tough. I pride myself on being professional and delivering what I say that I will but it is hard when you have had a baby up all night and a toddler permanently attached to you to get anything done.
During the last 10 days the thing that has kept me going is my mindset work. I have still eeked out a little bit of time every day to write my journal and do my affirmations. I have still set intentions every day and I have managed to nearly keep up with my daly meditations.
It has been really tough. I had to cancel a discovery call over the weekend and I have had to rearrange meetings I had planned. I have had to put back deadlines for courses that I had wanted to write as it's hard to do work when most of your time is spent cuddling a baby.
It has forced me to take a back seat and it has forced me to reevaluate what I am doing. I am doing this for my kids and to spend more time with them. When they are sick they need me and they are my priority. As much as I hate letting people down I would hope in the space I operate that other mums appreciate what it is like and cut me some slack.
When you run your own business and it's just you there often is no safety net. Last week I was lucky enough to have family helping out when I was at uni until late doing a presentation or meeting clients. I also realised that I needed to build more capacity around myself so I could cope better if I needed a break again for whatever reason.
I had to let go of the guilt that I was feeling from focusing on my business and found journalling helped me reevaluate the positives. I was kind to myself and looked after myself.
Having a sick child when you own a business is similar to when you are an employee. You will feel guilty and you might feel that people are judging you but when it comes down to it you are prioritising what is important to you.
The fact is you can't get as much done with a sick child and that's okay. The cuddles and the stories will get them through. Your work can wait – as long as you prioritise what is important and make sure that doesn't slip a few days out of the office isn't the end of the world.
My kids both seem to be on the mend and I am looking forward to getting down to some of my tasks later this week but having to stop and slow down has made me extra thankful for what I have.
