No Time To Be Tired
I fell asleep on my couch last night.
I slept right through one of my besties calling, texting, DMing & emailing me in the span of about 3 minutes (according to my phone logs) to let me know that she had spotted me on Missed Connections after my column ran yesterday morning.
You are now reading this thinking “Whatever, people fall asleep on their couches all the time. That’s not exactly a big deal.”
The big deal however, is that I fell asleep sometime around 6:30 PM.
As I’m getting ready to transition from full-time paid supported by the love and bi-weekly paycheck of my beautiful corporate existence to the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, learn-to-love-rice-and-canned-bean-meals, people-take-pity-on-me-and-buy-me-coffee-occasionally existence of a freelance writer and public relations consultant/strategist/girl-Friday/chick-about-town/Can-you-tell-I’m-still-looking-for-a-decent-job-title?!, I’m essentially running myself ragged.
Working 40+ hours, trying to balance a good 60% client load, not completely neglecting my friends and family, meeting obligations, setting up viewings of apartments to move, meeting with my officemate to figure out shared workspace, meeting people at 9:30 to watch movies and nod off on their shoulder, finding time to eat at least twice a day, remembering to brush my teeth before stumbling into bed…and trying to fit that all into this pesky 24 hours in a day schedule that some idiot came up with a few hundred years ago.
Photo Credit: Getty Images – Laurence Monneret
I keep coaxing myself out of fits of anxiety and panic at the “WTF AM I DOING”-ness of my decision by going over my schedule again and again in my mind and thinking how much things will change on September 1st when I free up 40+ hours of work. But in reality come September 1st my time will be even more consumed. Sure, the 40+hours will be spent working on the stuff I *need* to work on, but it isn’t like it will get easier. Owning a business isn’t exactly easy.
The most important trait of an entrepreneur is energy. The ability to dig deep within yourself and find another hour to finish a story. The time to get to the post office to mail a present to a friend that’s been sitting in your living room for a month. The fortitude to drag yourself to a client’s office and sit down with them to review contracts and pick up the deposit. Energy to carry yourself through the day when you aren’t sure where you are coming from and where you are going.
And me? I fall asleep on the couch at 6:30 at night. It’s one of my biggest fears. That I will exhaust myself. And have a flare-up. And not fall asleep at 6:30 PM but instead be stuck in bed for days straight and unable to move because of the searing pain pulsing through my body.
If I do one thing while starting this business, it’s going to have to be taking time to rest. I know this. I know I am not a fount of unlimited energy. My body just will not allow it. Unfortunately my rest time is currently coming at the expense of my friends. To them, I am so sorry. I miss them all so much. I’d be lost if I did not have Facebook and Twitter and other online ways to stalk their lives quickly.
But I promise, one day I’ll come out of this fog.
I don’t expect you to be there.
But I would certainly love it if you were.
This post is partially inspired by this fantastic new E-Book that came out yesterday, If I Would Have Known Just One Thing, book concept by Shane Mac. It’s 30 one-page submissions by great leaders and minds from around the web, asking what one thing they wish they knew “then” that they know “now.” A few of my favorites include: Give Your All, But Relax by Andrew Swenson; Work For Free by Ben Eubanks; Friends In High Places by Mark W. Schaefer; Don’t Wait by Jenny Blake; Commitment To The Process by Patrick Antrim; Play To Your Strengths by Mike McDerment & Success Is: Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate! by Tony Deblauwe. Check it out today…you won’t be disappointed!
Did you know I have a private newsletter that goes out ONLY to subscribers? It offers stories of travel adventures, writing brilliance, links to great content around the internet and other crazy shaningans.
