How to practice self-love as an entrepreneur

Ahh, entrepreneurship. So many of us start running our own businesses looking for freedom, greater work-life balance, and the chance to live a happier life.

It’s then something of a reality hit when being your own boss looks more like late nights alone at your laptop, 💻 waking up at 3am in a cold sweat worrying you’ve forgotten to pay a contractor, and answering client requests at all hours of the day and night 🤯

It doesn’t have to be this way, of course, and for many of us it’s not, but entrepreneurship is also an unpredictable journey that sometimes has us working overtime in fear of not having any work next month. Let’s look at 4 ways you can practise self-love as an entrepreneur — no matter how busy you are ➡️

‍1. Health is Wealth

As the saying goes, “health is wealth.” This is something entrepreneurs need to remember more than anyone — not least because some of us start businesses in the pursuit of exactly that.

Newsflash: when you run a business, you just have to get comfortable with the fact that you’ll never make it to the end of your to-do list.

Practise self-love by always prioritising your health. Get enough sleep, and find ways of working movement into your day, whether that’s a lunchtime stroll with a podcast, or a morning swim to get you ready for the day.

2. Celebrate your Wins

Without a boss giving you regular appraisals, it’s hard to keep tabs on how we’re actually doing as entrepreneurs. That means that our wins can often fall under our own radars — there’s always something new that we want to achieve.

Signing a new client, getting great feedback on a project, or completing a short course you’ve enrolled in are all worth a celebration.

Schedule in a monthly review session to look over your wins, and then take the afternoon off and go for a champagne tea with friends — or simply relax in the bath with a book.

3. Hustle-porn is everywhere

Hustle-porn is everywhere, and it’s neither realistic nor healthy. Most of us have other commitments in life, and wouldn’t be able to be at the gym at 4am if we wanted to (not that we do…).

It’s time to start normalising rest. It’s impossible to get work done once you’ve pushed yourself over your limit. Avoid reaching that stage by scheduling in regular rest, whether that’s starting work a little later once a week or grabbing a regular afternoon coffee with a friend.

4. Set some realistic goals

As humans, we like working towards goals. What have you had on your wishlist for a while, but never quite considered yourself worth spending that money on? Maybe you’ve been lusting after one of those micro-handbags, or you’ve been dreaming of taking your husband for a couples massage at your local spa.

Pick something you’d really enjoy, and start saving. See it as a way of saying ‘well done’ to yourself — you work so hard, and you deserve a treat!