Nov 19, 2007

WAH Tip Monday: You Are Only One Person Mom

If you read the WAHMs We Need Your Tips post last week, you'll know that I'm going to start a Monday theme here at the They Call Me Wahmmy blog! Each week I'll post a work at home (WAH) tip for those who currently run their own business or someday hope to.

The tip may be something from me personally or from other work at home moms, but either way they will be valuable. The fact that they come from those of us who've been there/done that makes them even more valuable in my opinion because I won't give you a bunch of fluff that only sounds good on paper (or in this case screen). They are tried and true from moms just like you who juggle staying home with the kids, taking care of a house and family, AND running a business.

Onto our first WAH Tip Monday!
This week's tip comes from Aurelia Williams of Real Life Solutions.

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YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL!
No one person can do everything. Be sure to set limits on your time to ensure that you don't burn out. Enlist help whenever possible, get plenty of rest and learn to say NO when needed.
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This is a huge problem that I deal with as a work at home mom! I feel like I have to be not only super mom, but super wife AND super business owner too. There's just one (ok more than one) problem with that mentality - When you think you have to be everyone to everybody, you become helpful to NO ONE! The more you try to take it all on yourself the worse it is for everyone involved.

For those who don't believe me, let me tell you a true story.

Not even 2 months ago, I was slapped with the reality that I just couldn't do it all myself. Yes, I've been told over and over that it's not possible to do everything and take on every client that came my way, but if you know me you know I'm stubborn. Therefore, did I listen? Nope and I landed myself in some serious health trouble where basically I was told:

"If you don't stop Arika, you
WILL have a heart attack or a nervous breakdown."

The fact that I was newly pregnant really helped smack me awake that day. I finally realized that I am only 1 person and I was hurting more people than I was helping by taking on so much in my life.


Well I couldn't exactly stop taking care of my family, nor did I want to. They NEED me and hubby works 6-7 days a week therefore I wasn't going to ask him to help anymore than he already does. So, what did that leave to cut back on? Something I didn't want to let go, but a choice I had to make.

The result was that I had to let the majority of my clients go and I had to start turning down new potential clients as well. You see, I love to work so this was not an easy thing for me to do, but I had no choice, I was not going to leave my children or my husband with no one to call Mommy or Wife.

I can tell you it was scary and I stalled for a few days before actually following through, but now that I have done it, I actually think it was better for everyone in the long run. Not only am I less stressed, but the clients I kept were given the undivided attention they deserved and the quality of work they were used to that had been slipping.

And...the majority of the clients I had to let go are going to be just fine! As a matter of fact one of them is on fire with their business right now, because I'm no longer holding her back because I just can't devote the time to her business that I wanted to and should have.


Someday I will grow my business more and start taking new clients again, but for right now that just isn't an option! Instead I'll focus on giving the clients I have the service they deserve and when I'm ready for more I'll do it the smart way. Instead of just saying "Sure, I'll do that." without planning and thinking about it first, I'll take a step back and evaluate the WHOLE situation first and if I can't fit it into my schedule, then I'll graciously decline.

So, please if you're a mom, WAHM or want to work your own business in the future, take the advice of Aurelia and don't think you can do it all by yourself and learn to say No!

Enjoy the tips each week and if you have a tip you'd like to see mentioned here click here to find out how you can submit it and receive some link lovin' for doing so!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a great post! Thanks for the reminder that I'm not SuperWAHM!

Anonymous said...

Great tips! I am always strung out over stuff that needs to be done.

Tishia said...

Enjoyed the post. It's funny because asking for help is so hard! I'd rather be stressed and try to do everything than admit I need help - something I so have to work on!

Aurelia said...

Thanks for using one of my Tips!! I just love your Blog!