Do You Have Freedom As A Health Coach?
For those of you in the USA, I hope you have a wonderful July 4th.
I’m on vacation this week in the mountains of North Carolina. We rented a house and invited our friends to join us. (It’s so great when the girls have playmates!).
I don’t usually think too much about Independence Day.
We usually do something fun like swimming or a BBQ with friends, but I don’t typically think about the significance of the holiday.
This year, it’s got me thinking about freedom and independence as an entrepreneur.
When I decided to switch careers and become a health coach, in addition to making a real difference in people’s lives, I was drawn to the idea of being my own boss, having flexible hours, being able to work from home, and having more control of how much money I earned.
I’m guessing that you can relate.
It’s true that being an entrepreneur can mean freedom.
But it can also have the reverse effect.
What I mean is that if we’re not careful, we can end up feeling encumbered by our business.
In my experience, this happens gradually over time, so you don’t even notice.
Today, I encourage you think about (and appreciate) the ways in which your business gives you freedom. Or, if you’re just starting out, the ways in which you want your business to give you freedom.
I’m grateful that my business allows me to…
… do work I truly love and feel called to do
… take plenty of time off. (Typically about 6 weeks per year.)
… work from home, so I don’t have to commute and can pop in my kitchen and make a healthy lunch or snack when I get hungry.
… surround myself with a community of people who fuel me – (I’m talking about you!)
… have the flexibility to take time out of my day to exercise, meet a friend for lunch, or take care of errands (so my weekend is less hectic)
… learn, innovate, be creative and stretch myself in ways that allow me to grow personally and professionally
I could keep this list going, but those are the biggies.
By recognizing what you’re grateful for, you’ll bring more of that into your life.
Now, consider the ways your business sometimes makes you feel confined.
Here’s what I’ve experienced over the years…
… working with clients who were less than ideal because I didn’t want to turn the money away
… dragging myself to networking groups (with people who were clearly not my tribe) because I felt like I HAD to.
… working 60+ hours a week and feeling like I had to be “on-call” at night and on weekends
… losing sleep because I had a slow month and had to dip into savings to make ends meet
By getting clear about how your business isn’t serving you, you can begin to think about what you want to change.
You don’t have to shouldn’t muscle through it!
I’m not saying that growing a business is easy. It takes hard work- especially in the beginning.
But you should be working in ways that fill you up, rather than in ways that constantly leave you feeling depleted.
Remember, this is YOUR business.
Who you work with, how you work with clients, how you structure your time, and how you get the word out about what you do is up to you.
Now, here are some resources to help you feel more free in your business…
Want a cash infusion?
In this post I share how to offer a VIP Day. (I also give you a launch guide and promo email templates.)
Feel like the niche you’ve chosen isn’t really a good fit?
In this post, I share how to grapple with this dilemma.
Always feel like there’s too much to do?
I this post I share how to take on LESS, and still get great results for your business. And here I share how I balance life with a business and family. (Disclaimer: this post is from a couple years ago, so my schedule has changed.)
Want to take time off, but aren’t sure how to manage it?
In this post I talk about how to “close up shop” without things falling apart.
Here’s to feeling “free”!
Now I’d love to hear from you!
In what ways does your business give you freedom, and in what ways does it make you feel enslaved? If you’re a brand new coach, in what ways do you want your business to give you freedom?
