In a fantasy world (i.e. the Internet), entrepreneurship is portrayed as a care-free life where you sip fancy drinks on the beach and live in a super nice vacation home.
But in the real world, entrepreneurship is truly appreciated for the days you’re needed out of your house and off of the beach.
On the evening of Wednesday, January 24, my sister asked me to come over to watch my niece (Maizah) throughout the night because she was having contractions. I was really tired and hungry because I had been fasting until 6 p.m. for the past couple of weeks, but I packed up my dog and my things, found food, and drove an hour in traffic out to Cobb County.
I got there around 9:15 pm to finally eat, and I tried to offer what little support I could while my brother-in-law prepared them to go to the hospital. I was exhausted, starving, and emotional. But I was there and present.
The next day I had plans to:
- Be apart of a promotional video for a project I’m apart of
- Sign on a new agency client I’m looking forward to working with
- Send over a 5-figure proposal for an influencer project I was pitched
I woke up around 6 a.m. to learn that second niece Caliana Lily James was born at 3:08 am and Maizah and I could go visit whenever we were ready.
My plans:
- ❌ Be apart of a promotional video for a project I’m apart of
- Sign on a new agency client I’m looking forward to working with
- Send over a 5-figure proposal for an influencer project I was pitched
I got my niece dressed, dropped my dog Max off to my place, made sure they were both fed, and then I took a quick business call before heading to the hospital. Throughout all of that I didn’t make time to walk Max.
Maizah and I finally got to the hospital and it was so beautiful seeing my sister’s family go from 3 to 4.
About ten minutes into the visit Caliana needed to take a nap and I needed to do a check-in call with a client so Maizah came with me to the break room to do the call. I managed to get through it even with her spilling water everywhere. We stayed at the hospital for another few hours admiring Caliana (until about 3:15 p.m.) and then eventually drove back to my place.
When we got to my parking garage, I sat in my car for about 5 minutes for a quick mental break. The work day was pretty much gone, I thought about the emails I wanted to get to, and remembered I couldn’t even ask my assistant to respond to them because we had just professionally parted ways 24 hours before. I came back to reality, got Maizah out of her carseat, took the elevator to my apartment, and walked in to see that my dog had peed on my couch.
I really wanted to be understanding because I DID forget to walk him BUT WHY ON MY SUEDE COUCH?! So then I yelled at him for peeing and he peed again because he was scared. 😂 And literally 3 minutes later while I’m doing everything I can to save my couch, my niece goes “uh oh Auntie Maya” which means she had an accident. Pee on my couch. Pee on my floor.
Long story short, I spent my entire day with my niece entertaining her, feeding her, cleaning up after her, and putting her to sleep (way past her bedtime).
My plans:
- ❌ Be apart of a promotional video for a project I’m apart of
- ❌ Sign on a new agency client I’m looking forward to working with
- ❌ Send over a 5-figure proposal for an influencer project I was pitched
And you know what? I wouldn’t have had the luxury to do any of those things had it not been for entrepreneurship. I didn’t have to call off from a job and explain why I had to be there for my family.
[Tweet “Entrepreneurship gives you the freedom to be occupied with the things matter most. “]
I appreciate having a business because of the things I prioritize ABOVE my business.
My priorities:
- God
- My needs and health
- My family’s needs/health
- My business (the people I serve)
- My wants/desires
- My family’s wants/desires
- Everyone else’s wants/desires
And it’s because of those priorities that I can truly enjoy the freedom that entrepreneurship gives me.
- My business gives me the freedom to share my faith with tens of thousands of people online.
- My business gives me the freedom to take mental health days when I need them.
- My business gives me the freedom to work with people who respect my priorities and boundaries.
- My business gives me the freedom to take care of my niece when my sister goes into labor in the middle of the night.
I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the benefits of my business if I prioritized it over my health.
I wouldn’t truly enjoy the blessings of my business if I prioritized it over God’s Will.
I wouldn’t have the reciprocated love of my family to share my success with if I prioritized my business over their needs.
[Tweet “Proper prioritization is what allows us to enjoy the freedom of entrepreneurship.”]
It’s when we put our plans over our priorities that we can’t truly enjoy the things we prioritize. Priorities allow us to enjoy the benefits of our blessings.
[Tweet “Never put your plans before your priorities.”]
Often times we search for that perfect work/life balance, but balance shouldn’t be the goal. Clear priorities should be. Priority creates harmony. It’s about having things that work well to support each other, not having things that are equal. And when it came to the project I was supposed to be apart of and the emails that left unsent, I didn’t have to over-explain myself because everyone is aware of where/how they’re prioritized in my life.
So today, I’m really grateful for entrepreneurship and the freedom that it offers me. I’ll never put my business over my faith, my health, or my family, but I will certainly always appreciate how much it complements those things in my life.
What do you appreciate most about the freedom you have in your life? What are you top priorities? I’d love for you to share!
