3 Ways to Prioritize Yourself as a Purpose-Led Entrepreneur
In order to show up for your clients in your highest self, you have to prioritize yourself first.
I’ve been in entrepreneurship since I graduated from university in 2017, and the entire experience up until last year (2019) was filled with me running around with my head cut off due to me not prioritizing myself or my goals.
I was a full-blown people pleaser. I was constantly putting everyone else’s needs and well-being before mine, even if it wasn’t in alignment with how I was feeling or wanted to be using my time.
I later realized this was tied to my need for acceptance from my peers growing up, and how that need than transferred to the way I interacted with my co-workers or bosses as an adult.
Present-day, I’ve made a very clear set of boundaries about what amount of time I have outside of my priorities, and what I don’t have time for anymore.
If prioritizing yourself is something you struggle with or have struggled with in the past, then check out the three tips below to gain some insight into how you can put yourself first as an entrepreneur and a human being.
1. Make a list of what is important to you personally & professionally.
Have you taken time to actually sit down and ask yourself, “what matters to me most?” or “how am I living in my purpose every day?”
As entrepreneurs, we get so caught up in the day to day task of work, life, and everything in-between, and taking the time to stop and reflect goes on the back burner when it should be at the forefront of our decision-making process.
So, right now, take some time to list out what’s important to you. Write down what matters to you most when it comes to your personal life, and what matters to you professionally.
This doesn’t have to be a drawn-out process, but it does take some evaluation.
Prior to writing this list out, here are some journal prompts you can use to reflect on your priorities and get clear on what you’re doing that matters to you versus what you’re doing that doesn’t mean jack to you.
What is your purpose in life?
What are you currently doing in this season of your life that fulfills your purpose?
What are you currently doing in this season of your life that drains you?
Is what you're doing in your life right now contributing to your purpose?
Once you finish up journaling, take out a piece of paper or your notes app, and split the things that you’re doing into two columns that are very plainly labeled personal life and professional life.
List out every task you do on both sides based on how highly you prioritize it. If something is important to you, but you currently aren’t prioritizing it, then there needs to be an energy shift within yourself to make that happen.
Same thing for if there is an item on that list you are highly prioritizing that you honestly don’t care about. If you’re giving energy to that when you could be giving that same energy towards something you truly care about, start removing it from your life.
Bonus Tip: Honor yourself, your priorities, and your time by planning the task you need to complete out in advance.
Using a task management system like Trello or Asana can help you visually see what tasks take priority in your life. You can then transfer those tasks over to your calendar by time blocking (which I have a video all about here).
This will give you more control over how your intentionally doing your task, and will allow you to actually pull out your calendar when someone asks for your availability and give them an accurate breakdown on when you’re free, instead of overcommitting yourself.
2. Find someone who is an expert in your field and can guide you through the process of building and sustaining your business.
Having someone who is in your corner, guiding you through the steps as you reclaim your time and energy back can not only save you stress, but they can also save you money and additional time.
Reaching out to a Coach or Mentor who has been trained to hold you accountable for what’s best for you allows more peace and abundance to enter your life, simply because you’re no longer the only person working things out when it comes to your business building process.
The difference between a Coach and a Mentor? A Coach is in the passenger seat, guiding you through every narrow turn and curve that you go and grow through in life, while a mentor is in the driver seat, showing you the way and showing you all the shortcuts. Both provide impact and growth, but their methodology is different.
If a Coach is out of your budget right now, seek out Coaches-in-Training or Support groups in your field on Facebook or Linkedin that provide resources and advice when needed.
Some of my favorites for Female Entrepreneurs are:
and of course, you can join The Creative’s Corner Community to seek resources and advice as well!
3. Only do what feels good to you, and say “no” when it doesn’t.
Really, really feel into this step and become comfortable with it. Learning how to say no for me was very difficult because I grew up telling everyone yes.
Yes, I’ll help you coordinate your event for free.
Yes, I’ll let you pick my brain — even though people pay for my services.
Yes, I’ll look over your flyer, and edit it for you, even though I have a portfolio of design work that I’ve done and you’ve seen.
There was an ingrained part of me that felt like if I didn’t tell the people who approached me for these things yes, then they wouldn’t like me anymore.
My ego was keeping me from honoring my time by trying to keep me safe in the eyes of these people, and none of them were bad or intentionally when asking to get me to work for them for free, but I also had to have enough respect for myself to say no and proceed to follow up with a rate sheet for the time or service they requested.
There is so much power with saying no, and someone who respects you, and what you do is going to respect you enough to pay you for your time to do what you’ve put so much money and years into perfecting.
If you feel icky doing something that doesn’t feel good to you, say no, and be confident in that decision.
This doesn’t mean start turning people down left and right, no, but do follow your intuition when your body is telling you that you shouldn’t be doing something.
There’s a reason your gut gets uncomfortable when you’re presented with something that is not going to go well for you.
To help with this, here are some affirmations that can help increase your confidence in your decision making:
“I have confidence in my decisions.”
“I am naturally good at making decisions.”
“I acknowledge my own self-worth — my confidence is rising.”
“I am a powerful creator. I create the life I want and enjoy it.”
“I trust my intuition and I always make wise decisions.”
Prioritizing yourself care can be difficult to do, especially as you grow older and add a companion, their family, your children, and all of their items on to your list of priorities.
However, with support and gentleness towards yourself, you’ll be able to push past any obstacle in front of you and give yourself more time to just be.
Be the most divine human being that you are, in your personal and professional life.
If you’re interested in hiring a life coach or creative business mentor that will keep you accountable to your goals in purpose as the divine-human being that you are, then you should look into working with me. You can find more information at www.vpwright.com.
