I love being in business for myself! I truly get to make up my life my way. And wow, sometimes this comes with a big cost:

OVERWHELM

On most any given day, I can experience a whole range of thoughts and emotions – some even go to the extreme of “I QUIT!”

Laura Whitworth, my co-creator of The Bigger Game, used to say “If there aren’t any days in your month when you don’t say, ‘I quit, this is too much or too hard,’ it simply means the current ‘game’ you are playing needs to go to the next level of expression.”

Well believe me, I have days where ALL I want to say is “I quit!”

Am I alone in this?

It seems like there’s always too much to do, not enough time, and certainly not enough money to make it all happen the way that I’d like.

And with technology, it seems as though it’s impossible to keep up. Just as you think you have something figured out, they go and change it on you.

Can you relate?

I’m currently in that classic entrepreneur spot: I need help. To date, it’s only Chuck and myself. Do we break down and hire someone full time to help? How do we afford to pay that someone?

Here’s what typically happens: I get a creative idea. We discuss. And then: Worry. Fatigue. Overwhelm. Stuck. Rinse. Repeat.

Is it just me?

To help combat the overwhelm I experience, I’ve learned that it’s important to step outside of my business life to recharge. To do so, I have three different practices that I like to call my Creative Recovery Tools:

Cross-Fit – when I’m not traveling I head to my neighborhood cross-fit class at the end of my workday. It’s such a great way to let off steam, and take care of my body all at the same time. And the endorphins that are released are like chocolate, but way healthier.

Reflective reading time – No matter how busy I am, I always try to find at least 15 minutes of quite time to feed my soul. Currently on my bedside table you’ll find High Performance Habits (Brendon Burchard) and Conscious Creation (Dee Wallace – she played the Mom in the movie ET!).

Hogan’s Heroes – This show just plain makes Chuck and I laugh! Most nights we watch an episode or two just before drifting off to sleep. It’s so much more fun to go to bed laughing instead of worrying (It’s on the MeTV channel).

The above three things help keep me fresh, focused and in the game. They help take my mind off of the overwhelm that I experience.

Now I’m not suggesting that you practice the above-mentioned things, unless, of course, they work for you too. But what I do suggest is that you create 2 or 3 practices that do work, to help keep you calm, cool and creative.

I’d love to hear what they are!

Blessings-
Rick