Learning self-care is essential to your overall well-being. Understanding how it benefits your personal and professional life is vital. Self-care is not selfish; it can help you prevent illness and be more productive and profitable.

Self-care is one of the most important aspects of my life and business. 

I take this part of my personal and professional development extraordinarily seriously. It's not just essential for me mentally; it's vital for my business as well.  My self-care routines have a direct impact on both. 

Some people believe that self-care is a self-indulgent or selfish practice. That's far from the truth. Self-care is necessary to keep you physically and mentally functioning at peak performance. An excellent self-care practice can help you prevent illness and be radically productive.

If you're in the habit of putting your needs last or have a hectic schedule, you may have to work more intentionally to adopt this practice into your lifestyle. 

Trust me, as a busy entrepreneur, I understand how hard it is to set aside time for myself. My dedicated self-care time may be different from yours, but that's fine as long as I'm fitting it into my day somewhere.

We often think of massage and mani-pedis as self-care. A massage may be part of your practice; however, self-care goes beyond massages and mani-pedis. I practice activities like being intentional about drinking enough water, making time for stillness, prayer, gratitude, physical well-being, or one of my favorites: watching a sitcom at the end of the day. These can be facets of your self-care rituals. The cool thing is you get to create your own.

How about that?

I like what a coach taught me: 

The personal drives the professional, so the professional can serve the personal. 

This means that the more I improve myself, the more I can serve and be of maximum value to my clients and my referral partners. 

The benefits are well worth the effort to care for oneself. You may have items you do as a weekly ritual, like meal planning and workouts, or you can create a list of things to do that bring you joy. When you find yourself with a few spare moments, do a quick Google search when you start putting together your plan. You will find ideas you can add to your day, whether you have only a minute or a whole day to spend on yourself. 

Adopting this practice may not solve all your problems, but they may be easier to manage. I believe creating recurring self-care habits is something everyone should consider. The whole point of this journey is to have a fantastic life and contribute. I cannot do this if I'm in survival mode or worrying about where my next dollar will come from. We've all been there.

Professional and personal development allows me to expand and grow in value, giving me the potential to earn more.

Take a hot bath and enjoy time laughing with your friends. Self-care can be habit-forming, and that's a good thing. If you need help with your self-care ritual, give me a call. Stephen Burchard, The Bow Tie Coach, taking the (k)nots out of business. Click here to schedule a call; I promise no cost or obligation.

“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” - Bhudda