Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, but it is hard to understand the impact that this will have on your friends and family. When you take the next step of becoming a business owner, you can lose friends and your family relationships could weaken — without balance. This is because some entrepreneurs are so consumed with the role of creating a business that their business begins to consume their life.
Have you ever felt like when you are not at work all you can think about is what you need to perform in your business?
Have you begun to outgrow people as they do not understand your busy lifestyle?
Do you feel like you do not have time for small talk or to get caught up with friends?
A startup can consume your life — if you allow it to.
You need to leave time for your own personal growth and spiritual growth. You can do this by prioritizing your time. You should create time in your schedule to spend in your faith and with your family.
You can balance your family, friends, faith, and your business, and when you do, you will find that everything feels like it is happening with ease. You will begin to see how the benefits of one area reflect in other parts of your life.
Zig Ziglar used a tool when he explained this concept called the Wheel of Life. In his presentations, he would hold up a wheel with 7 spokes. Each spoke represented different areas of life one has to balance: Mental, Spiritual, Physical, Family, Financial, Personal, and Career. When one is out of balance, it affects the other 6.
When you are spending time with your family, turn off your phone and laptop. Even though this can be extremely hard to do, it is important that you continue to build stronger relationships within your family and balance work vs. home in a way that is appropriate.
For your mental “spoke”, take for example your friendships. You are in complete control of who engages with you. If you do not want to talk with someone, then you should not respond. If your friends are not encouraging you or celebrating your wins with you, you should eliminate them from your life. It is very easy to get run down within a business, therefore, you need to keep those around you positive and protect your energy as much as possible.
Even though it can feel challenging to make time for family and friends, it is crucial for your own growth and success!