September 11, 2010

Boundaries: I'm Tired. There. I Said It.


This has been a whirlwind year for me and The Broke Socialite brand; so much so that I have not had a real break from work (whether corporate or my own empire) since June 2009.  I'm not as young as I used to be and my bad habits are finally catching up with me.

I have been mostly head-down building my own brand, networking, creating lifestyle experiences in the form of tours and conferences and helping other small business owners build their own empires.  When my friend, Melenese, gifted me with a trip to Europe to visit she and her husband for birthday, I was floored.  I did not want to accept it at first. "It 's too much", I protested.  She insisted and I finally gave in to her nagging me pressure.  You see, Mel has been watching me burn the candle at both ends since January.  She detected that I needed a respite and that I did not have the sense enough to take my self.  Mel did what real girlfriends do...took control.  I love her for it.

I want to make the best of my vacation and benefit from the respite.  When I return, we'll be going into the last quarter of this year, so I've decided that there will be no major commitments made for the balance of it (unless, of course, Oprah calls...LOL). A serial over-extender, I want my life back.  For that reason, whatever is on my calendar when I leave in a few days will be IT for 2010.  I've a nicely orchestrated fall with wonderful speaking engagements, new tours, great consulting projects and lest we forget the production of my novella, Instantly!: How Quickly I Hate My Job and lavish!, the lifestyle bloggers conference in December 2010 that I'm producing.   I'm committed to giving my all to my existing portfolio of projects and am looking forward to strutting into 2011 with a better work/life balance.

As difficult as it is to admit, sometimes boundaries are necessary plus I need to begin prepare for this half-marathon in February. Great. Of all things, that happened to make the cut (*rolls eyes*).  Though I sorta protest, I'm looking forward to it.  My cousin-in-love, Natalie and I have made a pact to train together and run the Disney Princess Half-Marathon. Each of us has different reasons for doing it so we're supporting each other.  Natalie married one of my favorite cousins a few years back.  As busy families go, we do not see and talk to each other enough (though everyone is in the Atlanta area). The funny thing is that she and I have learned more about each other through being friends on Facebook. I'm happy to share this experience with her and to get a portion of my life back whilst building my empire towards the sky!

How good are YOU with boundaries? Any tips/ideas to share?

5 comments:

  1. Boundaries are necessary in order to have a healthy balance. Glad you are taking some time for YOU. :)

    This has been a break-out year for my business and I have learned the hard way to SCHEDULE in times of rest. You can't create continually without burning out. Eventually the candle is used up, the wax gone. So for me, a day here, a weekend there...a week one month...it's all scheduled in now because I can't afford (literally) to burn out.

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  2. Good for you!

    I'm really pretty good at boundaries, but it didn't (and doesn't) come naturally to me, because I like to help, and I like see other people succeed, and I tend to like to be social. It's definitely a learned behavior for me.

    I have noted that people with poor boundaries do not enjoy it when I maintain mine.

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  3. not good at all..will do things to be nice, knowing i need a break..or cant really do it..but i am working on it for me. even with people.

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  4. Always a work in progress for me. I'm pretty good about saying no to others, but I have a million projects that I am trying to do and it's just too much! I usually reschedule and re-prioritize my life around key times each year: the fall (when my kids go back to school), the new year and the spring (when my kids will be getting out of school soon). My struggle is to stop doing so much and to just BE.

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