You’ve got to have boundaries. This was the message that was shouted at me loud and clear when I began my business. Especially because my office is attached to my home. Especially because when you work in the health field it’s easy to over-empathize and end up working on your clients stuff in off hours. Especially because I have young children at home.
The list goes on.
And, when I was starting out, I believed this. I set up separate phone lines and clear office hours and sound-proof doors. But rather than making my life less stressful, like all of these precautions are supposed to do, they seemed to be more trouble than they were worth. I worried about my boundaries like they were tiny kittens that I should be feeding with an eyedropper and nursing along; it seemed impossible that they would survive on their own.
A couple years ago I read something that changed all of that. It said that when we are truly living and working within our passion, then the boundaries tend to become blurry and disappear since we simply are who we are in every aspect of my life. This was what I needed to hear.
The truth is that life does not fit neatly into columns of work and home. My children, who are also homeschooled, are often wandering into my office, answering the phone etc. I could write long and involved pro/con lists about that, but the point is this; trying to stop this kind of interact was exhausting. Letting life happen is much easier.
Does this mean allowing people to walk all over you? No. It simply means allowing for flexibility and understanding that when you are doing what you are truly meant to do there is a huge amount of carry-over from one aspect of your life to another. Most of us work holistically, meaning that we look at the body as a whole rather than as a list of parts. A holistic approach to your work means that it fits into and reflects your life as a whole, rather than being a job where you punch in/punch out.
What do you think: is it better to have a 9-5 mentality or to try to work more holistically? I’d love to hear from you!
In the meantime, be amazing.
Alexis
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