The promise of increased quality time with your family and a better work-life balance is often one of the lures of running your own business.  In reality, it can seem that you’ve never worked harder, longer and for less than ever before.  So, how do you manage the overwhelming amount of things you need to do whilst juggling the demands, and delights, of your personal life?

Ask for help.  It’s the biggest lesson you’ll learn as a business owner and, I can assure you, that for most of us it doesn’t come easily.  We think we have to look as though we’re in control all the time, even in areas where we have little to no experience.  But asking for help is the single most important thing you need to learn to do if you’re going to achieve your dreams.

How do you ask for help?

First of all, try practicing asking for help. It’ll make you feel vulnerable and you’ll feel uncomfortable as we’ve got very used to not carrying out this simple act of communication.  By pretending to be in charge, putting on a front, displaying an Instagram-perfect lifestyle, we deny ourselves the opportunity to learn from other people’s wisdom.

So, my tip for today, is to practice asking people for help.

  1. Start by making a list of all the things that you’re struggling with.
  2. Then write down the names of friends, family or colleagues that have offered help in the past.
  3. Now match those people with your list of tasks that you need help with.
  4. Pick up the phone and ask for help.  And finally, …
  5. Think of one thing that you can do to help someone else… and do it.

Dr. BrenĂ© Brown offers some perspective, and I love her advice, “If you can’t ask for help without self-judgement, you can not offer help without judging others.”

Connect with us and let us know which aspects of social media you need help with and follow our conversations further on Facebook.  We want to hear from you so don’t forget to leave us a comment, subscribe to our newsletter and let us know what help you and your business need.

Together, the overwhelming can be managed, stress can be reduced and results can be achieved… we just need to connect.

Speak soon!