This is a new-take on a previously published article - enjoy!
Launching, growing, and leading a business is hard work. Raising kids is hard work. What about those who want to do both… successfully?!
That’s the magic question facing many entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s who want both business success and to be great parents to their kids.
We know that the birth and raising of a child is stressful (to put it lightly). Stress negatively impacts the brain’s prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which are essential for memory function, focused attention, and executive functioning. These areas allow us to plan, organize, and problem solve.
When stressed, we can underperform, take frantic actions, ruminate on the past and find it difficult to be creative, and deeply focus on the projects we’re working on. As entrepreneurs and busy corporate leaders, we can't afford to lose the parts of our brains that are necessary for our performance, innovation, and business growth. The goal is to reduce stress and have our minds back. But how?
No matter how we slice the pie, there will only ever be just one of us, and 24 hours in a day. A baby takes a lot of time to care for– day and night - and the hours we would spend working in business are now in direct conflict with parenthood. Or are they?
To win at entrepreneurship and parenting the answer is simple:
WORK.
LESS.
IN.
OUR.
BUSINESS.
Here are 8 rules to implement right now to get there:
Implementing even one of these 8 rules can be a game-changer for us. Having the right mindset when navigating forward is essential, which is why the transition to parenthood must be seen as a hero's journey for entrepreneurs to venture through.
The Hero's Journey
The hero’s journey was popularized by mythologist Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. It focuses on the growth, challenges, and transformation that individuals have when they are called to a new adventure.
Let's look at the hero's journey from the perspective of entrepreneurs who are parents (or becoming parents):
By seeing this experience as a hero’s journey, we are much more likely to be compassionate, kind, and easy on ourselves. We can let go of internal pressure to be perfect or ‘do it all' and create space for a new way forward. As we are compassionate to ourselves on this hero's journey, our brains release seratonin, which helps stabilize our mood, lowers stress levels and increases happiness.
Any time a radical change happens on the outside of our life requires an equally radical change inside. What’s exciting about this is that we’re the ones who are holding the map. We’re the one’s charting a way forward that fits our needs, values, goals, and lifestyle at this incredible part of our lives.
Parenthood is a hero’s journey. It also has the potential to make us even better entrepreneurs if we’re open to it. What about you? Maybe it’s the perfect time to pause and reimagine how you want to work and live. Why not take a step back and use these 8 rules to design a new way forward from a place of strength? Possibility? Potential?
That’s how to win at entrepreneurship and parenting.
Please email me at tracey@livlitceo.com and let me know about your hero's journey experience with entrepreneurship and parenting. As well as which of the 8 rules you're going to use to start designing a new way forward.
xx Tracey
Co-Founder and Master Coach with Liv.Lit! Coaching and Training
PS There are a thousand reasons why people seek coaching for their business. Tell me yours on an Intro Call
Sources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/protect-your-brain-from-stress
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