This the seventh and final post in my series of posts about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. It is my slant on each of the habits, and how each relates to being a small business owner. To read the whole series, click here.
Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw
You are your greatest asset in your business.
As a service business owner, your clients buy you.
But I would be willing to be that you don’t respect yourself as much as your clients do.
You run from task to task, getting things done, and sometimes maybe you don’t stop to eat or even take a break. Maybe you work all hours of the day, weekends, holidays, and don’t take vacations. Can you say burnout?
You are not doing your clients (you know, the ones who PAY you) any favours by treating yourself like that.
It’s in your best business interest to nurture yourself – you will be better for your clients and your business – and yourself!
Sharpening the saw refers to caring for yourself in various ways. Physical (eat well, get rest, take care!), Social (connecting with others and building positive relationships), Mental (taking classes, getting coaching, keeping on top of business trends), Spiritual (taking time off, meditating, planning down time).
Caring for yourself is very often one of the last things that small business owners do – when really it should be at the top of the list.
I remember when my son was born someone said ‘He’s the most important person in your world now.’ and I said, ‘No, I am.’ and they gave me very odd look. I went on, ‘I have to be my best self to be the best mom I can be for him. Without keeping myself as the most important person in my life, I have less to give him.’
It’s exactly the same principle with our business. We have to be the best we can be for our clients, our team members, our colleagues. Our primary service is ourselves. We need to nurture that and care for it, and help it grow. That’s just good business planning.
I’d love for you to share your insights about self-care and enhancing your greatest asset on my Facebook page.
