***An Entrepreneur’s Number One Priority: Take Care of Yourself

Whether you’re a business owner or an entrepreneurial-style manager, you’re going to spend a great deal of your time taking care of other people—employees, vendors, business associates, friends, and, of course, family. “Taking care of” can mean nurturing, of course, but in this context, it also means problem-solving, mediating, motivating, and sometimes even scolding. When you’re the go-to person, you’ll find yourself being many things to many people, and if you’re not careful, you won’t have enough energy left for yourself. That’s why you must remember to take care of you. You are your most important asset, and you’re not any good to anyone if you are sick and stressed out—or worse.

Protect your physical and emotional health. We all know to eat right, exercise, and get regular checkups, be we often find excuses to not do what we know we should. Dump the excuses. Find the discipline and the time to do what’s best for you. You don’t have to be the first one in and last one out of the office every day. If the place falls apart when you’re not there, you’re doing something wrong. And your people will find you much more pleasant to work with if you invest some time doing things that are good for you personally.

Remember that your emotional health is every bit as important as your physical health. Stay in touch with your spiritual side, whether it’s through prayer and mediation or some other means. Humans are emotional creatures with deep feelings, and it isn’t practical or reasonable to expect that you can completely separate your feelings from your business. Don’t even try.

If you have any reason to suspect that you may be suffering from any sort of mental health issue, even if it’s “just” a mild case of depression, seek professional help. If you need counseling or even medication, get it. Don’t sacrifice your peace of mind to any preconceived notions about the process or because of concerns about what people might think.

Put your family ahead of your business. Don’t neglect your spouse; successful marriages take as much effort, if not more, as any business. You can always work, but your children will only be young once. Beyond your family, protect and preserve your friendships. All the business and financial success in the world will be meaningless if you don’t have people you love to share it with.