This is something that I’ve started to see all over social media. Women who are just beginning in their business or starting to grow their business posting about feeling overwhelmed so they’re taking the day off.

Self care days are critical – don’t get me wrong – but there is a mega difference between refueling your tank and plain old procrastination.

The reason it irks me to see these posts because the most successful people out there rarely seem to prioritize self care over getting shit done; especially when they were first starting out. The idea is that you want to be successful with your business, but instead you fill your day with activities like pedicures and shopping that don’t bare any actual weight on getting your business moving… why is that?

Could it be because you are simply using “self care” as a reason to procrastinate? I know for me, that was the real #truth at first.

I would tell myself that it was really hard and that I deserved a break. That if I just took the day off tomorrow I would be refreshed and able to focus more easily. That I had to put going out for a big dinner with friends ahead of grinding out my website content because that’s what felt good and if it didn’t feel good than I shouldn’t be doing it.

Maybe that all works for some people. But for me, a [now] recovering procrastinator, that practice was keeping me dead in the water.

I want to be clear here: I FULLY believe that you must put on your oxygen mask in order to be able to help and serve others. I 100% think you need to celebrate big wins. I totally support taking a day off here and there to live and laugh.

But the pattern I’m seeing and am guilty of doing myself in the past are not these one-off, sporadic me-days. They seem to have become a weekly thing. Women claiming, “Getting frustrated by my biz so it’s time for a day of luxury.”

Are you just plain old procrastinating? Are you simply taking the easy road to brunch rather than sitting down and putting your real, genuine energy towards your business? If you suspect this might be you, the way to get past it is easier than we think.

Ask yourself: WHY? Why am I feeling frustrated? Why am I feeling overwhelmed? Why does this seem so hard? Why am I so easily stepping away from my business for the day when this is a critical time in building and growth? I should be wanting to live, eat, sleep and breath my business!

You may find that the answer comes to you quicker and clearer than you think. And if it doesn’t, keep asking yourself WHY? until it does.

For me, it was a classic case of not being in alignment. The way I was setting up my business reflected what I THOUGHT I should do, and in some ways basically just copying what others were doing because that’s what seemed to lead to success. But the business I was creating this way was NOT the way I truly wanted to Coach, or show up as an online business owner. So I had to get REALLY real with myself about that. And in many ways start from scratch.

Which of course, was a bummer… but at the same time getting honest about this pivot allowed me to get into a space where I was loving the content I was creating and the only thing I wanted to do was get my business up, running and growing PRONTO.

I found no more reason for these random “self care days” I was previously kidding myself with. (Yes, I still mixed in ‘days of fun’ as I like to call them but they are always purposeful and come 2^nd to my business building activities… at least until I hit certain financial milestones with my work.)

As a recovering procrastinator I know how hard it is to believe that it IS possible for you to get all of the moving parts of your business up and running and growing and making money; most days it feels like it’s possible for everyone else, but for some reason you can’t seem to pull it together.

But YOU CAN. I promise you. Figure out WHY and then do what you need to do to push yourself FORWARD.

Talk Soon!