When I first started on my entrepreneurial jag, an acquaintance called me dogged. If you do not know me personally – there you have it, I am stubborn in my determination, obstinate, tenacious — just plain dogged. So, when I decided to be a mompreneur there was no turning back. I was going to chase this dream with every last particle in my being. You can believe it — I am absolutely dogged.
Many moms decide to be a mompreneur because of the flexibility, and there was absolutely an element of this is in my decision-making process. As mompreneurs, we do not have to give up the 2nd grade Thanksgiving performance or can work at home with a sick kid. Being a mompreneur means you are your own boss, and so if you want to answer emails at 4 a.m. or 11 p.m., that is your choice. The other side of the coin is building something as a mompreneur means you are on the line and it can become all-consuming (especially if dogged describes you). Guilty as charged!
No matter what I do, I always put my entire self into it. When I added mompreneur to my bag of tricks, not much changed. I started out in full swing, devoting every ounce of energy that I had to my biz pursuit. Not to mention that I struggled with what I could let go from my Stay-At-Home Mom repertoire. Developing the balance is not easy, and I do not even pretend to having achieved anything in this department.
My determination is not isolated to being a mom and mompreneur. I have always been extremely committed to regular exercise. This was not only a means of staying fit, but also a huge stress relief for me. Running, power-walking, spinning, weight-lifting, kick-boxing, pilates, and yoga – I love them all and try to switch it up and incorporate different methods. Last week, I went to yoga for the first time in a while and maneuvered into my downward dog.
At one point, the instructor had us in some pose on the mat and encouraged us to let go of what was distracting us, free ourselves from what was on our minds, to just be in the moment. Guess what? This mompreneur could not do it! I could not let go. The more the instructor talked about letting go. the more my mind filled with all the distractions on my to-do list. There I am laying in there in the steaming hot yoga room thinking about my list on my desk, my blog, the lawyer, and a weekend meeting.
This was VERY BAD NEWS for me….how could I not release my brain for 1 hour of stress relief? I obsessed over this fact for the entire day further proving to myself that my dogged nature was turning evil. That night while I lay awake, I determined that I had to find some way to table my excitement, drive, and passion for my current project for 1 hour every day. I basically used reverse psychology on myself and my obstinacy to let go. I challenged myself to something that I failed at, and I knew that “dog-gone” I was going to do it!
In one week, this is what I have learned:
- Fast Walking/Running on the Treadmill with loud music playing AND the “dinging” of a new email or text turned OFF works for me (problem with using iphone as ipod).
- Pairing up with a friend for an hour walk is extremely helpful because it forces me to concentrate on somebody else.
- Fast-paced exercise classes keep me focused on the moment and do not allow my mind to wander.
- Beyond exercise – getting involved for 30 minutes with a mindless novel allows my brain to relax, too.
NOW – you know that I am not going to quit on yoga. I will find a way to corral my thoughts and lay on that mat, sweaty and thoughtless. My goal for the next few weeks is to be more dogged about my downward dogs. I will keep you posted on what I discover – in the meantime, feel free to share any mind clearing tricks that you have and visit me at http://backngroovemom.com to follow my dogged pursuits.
