4 Things I've Learned About Being an Empathic Entrepreneur
4 Things I've Learned About Being an Empathic Entrepreneur
Being an intuitive, medium and an empath I feel so much energy, like all the time. It's sometimes hard to deal with, especially if you are like me, constantly networking and meeting people. You never know what kind of energy you are running into and even taking on as they leave the virtual room. Not to mention the crazy as hell year it has been for many people. The pandemic put a lot of things to a screeching halt, however, one thing that has been put on the back burner for me and a lot of other entrepreneurs I know is self-care. Empathic entrepreneurs should always put their self-care first.
What is an empathic entrepreneur?
An empathic entrepreneur is someone who owns their own business that is also an empath, or highly sensitive person. They are likely the healers in our society: the nurses, the doctors, coaches, energy healers, mediums, counselors, mental health professionals, and people who work with special needs children,. They are the people who are likely to put themselves LAST in an effort to serve others first. I come from a whole family of empaths and healers. My mom was a highly sensitive person/empath and she was also a reiki healer. My dad was also reiki attuned but worked with cancer patients. My brother is in school for nursing and I am a marketing and branding coach/strategist for spiritual entrepreneurs.
1. Boundaries!
Setting boundaries early on with your clients/friend/aquaintances will definitely smoothen the road for you as an empath. It's hard when you want to soften those boundaries cause you feel for the person that calls at 3:00 am in the morning to talk. It's fine to do it once in a while for a very good friend or an important client, but don't make it a habit. I have recently started putting hard boundaries on myself. Stopping all work at 8:00 pm, not looking at the phone at 9:00 pm and closing the laptop altogether around 9:45 pm. It's hard to follow these boundaries at times, but it really does keep my sanity in check. As a business owner it's so important to keep hard boundaries with your clients and customers. Office hours are office hours. If someone emails you at 9:00 pm at night and you close at 8:00 pm, guess what? They are going to get an email at 9:00 am the next morning.
2. Create Space for Your Creative Process
This is one I am definitely working on. Do you have any special projects you are working on? Maybe you would like to release a book, start a podcast, do public speaking, release an album, become an actor, or write a script. Empaths are incredibly creative and it's so important we take some time out of the week to work on our special little projects. Who knows? That special project will become the best seller that you always dreamed of. Empaths always come from a place of service, so whatever you do, make sure it comes from a place of helping others. I recently created an ebook called 5 Ways to Use Your Intuition as a Business Owner and it's going to be one of many!
3. Sometimes it's not about the emotion
Anybody who has ever had to fire anyone had to go through this at some point. I remember months ago I had to fire a team member because they just weren't pulling their weight. I really felt for this guy cause he was going through issues with his family and it was right smack in the middle of the pandemic. My business was starting to suffer cause even though I gave the guy chance after chance, he still kept messing up. I had enough after the 100th time of him not completing the tasks I told him to. I had to take the emotion out of the conversation and just fire this guy. Even though I tried to make it as personable as possible, I had to fire him. Sometimes it's all about the business, and you have to make decisions that is best for the business, not for the person who isn't doing their job.
4. Self Care!
I would like to put a disclaimer here and say I am definitely struggling with this one. Self care is one of the most important things an empathic entrepreneur should do. Whether it's a bubble bath or just crying your eyes out after a long and hard day, self care is incredibly important. As a perfectionist, if I see that if something that I do is not slightly perfect, I get so hard on myself. Without self care, this can be a really bad mindset to be in. What are some of the ways I do self care?
Salt baths
Doing my nails
Getting a new outfit
Crying
Journaling
Sleeping for more than eight hours
There are a lot more ways you can do self care, but remember to be kind to yourself. When you are serving others it can be exhausting, it's really important to have that time to yourself and reset. Have a day to yourself! Sundays are my days. What is your self care day?
It Doesn't Have to be Hard!
It can be quite simple to put all these things into play. You just have to get into the mindset of being someone that doesn't have to take on everyone's feelings all at once. When you set the boundaries, you can definitely control who you talk to at what time, and you can turn off your phone at another time. Being empathic means you don't have to be there for someone 24/7, it means being there for someone at the present moment, and taking care of yourself for the rest of the time.
Create a Life You Desire!
You can manifest the life you want as an empath! That is one of our magical powers. You can CONTROL who is in your life at what time and what moment, and what things you desire as well. You don't have to be at the job if you don't want to and you don't have to have that partner if they make you unhappy. Choose your happiness in life, whether it's you living by the beach or having your dream condo in the city. Empaths feel a lot of energy, but it doesn't have to be negative. We experience positivity at 100 as well. So choose positivity and happiness!