Five Confessions of Someone Who is NOT a Workaholic
I hear so many people out there “confessing” about being a workaholic. And every time I hear it, part of me wants to be able to resonate and fully agree with the statement. But the truth is, I don’t fully resonate with it. I want to resonate with it. But I don’t.
And then this makes me feel like a fraud and that I don’t deserve the title of entrepreneur. But, that’s 100% false.
Just like every person is born with different physical appearances, skills, and gifts, every entrepreneur is born with different strengths and values.
The truth is: there is nothing wrong with NOT being a workaholic. And quite frankly, I believe there is a culture of glorifying the title of workaholic. It seems to mean that you are dedicated and committed to your business. So on the contrary, if you are not a workaholic this must mean that you are lazy or not dedicated to your work. At least that’s how I’ve felt. Up until recently.
There are strengths and weaknesses in everything. So, there are strengths and weaknesses in being a workaholic. And the same can be said about not being a workaholic. One is not better than the other. And one does not guarantee success over the other.
Regardless of how you define yourself, your success as a business owner does not rest in your title as a workaholic or not.
Since accepting the fact that I am not a workaholic AND also realizing that this does not devalue my title of entrepreneur, I’ve created five “confessions” that help me own this truth.
Not being a workaholic allows me to take care of my body: I studied health science in college, so health and wellness will always be something that I value. I will always make time for exercise, taking time for my body, and preparing meals that fuel my body.
Not being a workaholic is good for my marriage: My husband has never felt less important or devalued because of my business. Our relationship will always come first. There are the times when I have to work some evenings or weekends, but we always talk about it openly and honestly. And those evenings and weekends when I work are typically under special circumstances, it is not the norm.
Not being a workaholic allows me to be incredibly efficient while I DO work: since I want to take the evenings and weekends off, I work extremely hard during my work hours. I am efficient with my time and create lists and goals that are attainable, yet also push me to work hard while I am at work.
Not being a workaholic has allowed me to put others above work: I am able to walk away from work when I need to. Sometimes I have to say “no” to friends or family. But, I’ve also been able to take time off or take a phone call from a friend in the middle of the day because she needed to talk.
Not being a workaholic has taught me how to be successful without sacrificing my health and relationships: I’ve been able to build a business without being a workaholic. This means that I have been successful without letting work completely control me. Even with rest, weekends off, vacations, and random weekdays off, I’ve built a business that I can be proud of. Would I be farther along if I was a workaholic? Maybe. But I wouldn’t want that. I wouldn’t be building a business that represented ME and my mission.
Want to know more about why I run a heartfelt business? Read more here. Or, if you want, sign up for my FREE 5-day e-course about running a heartfelt Instagram feed. It’s free, so what’s stopping you?