“How Do You Deal with the Challenges and Bad Days That Come with Being Self Employed?”

In business and in practice, when things are going well and smoothly, the “fun” takes care of itself.

But it’s how we all deal with the rest of the time that really matters most.

Here’s how I get through the good and the not-so-good days.

…and I really think that if it wasn’t for this list, I wouldn’t have survived and prospered for so long. Here’s what I do…

The “Fun” has been a byproduct of doing what I feel is the right things for myself and others…

1. I eat right.
2. I exercise 7 days a week.
3. I go to bed soon after the sun goes down and wake up right before the sun comes up.
4. I take naps.
5. I only hang around people who get me, both professionally and personally.
6. I do my best to treat people with the respect and care that they deserve.
7. I live below my means.
8. I do the most important work before noon.
9. I always try to increase my ability to endure discomfort.
10. I pray for strength, not good luck.
11. I don’t take money and work too seriously.
12. I always have a “plan B” that can sustain my health and happiness… with little work and little money. In other words, I choose to do what I do but if a day comes where that is no longer feasible, I’m okay with that.
13. I “try” to give people what they want provided that there is fair exchange and that they are reasonably willing to do their share.
14. I value outcome over process and ethics over outcome.
15. I live in the moment. I seldom think about the past or the future. (This has been huge for me.)
16. I “try” to provide extreme value. In other words, give more than I take.
17. I trust my team. I do not micromanage. I choose to trust them. It just gives me more time, freedom, and it just feels better.
18. I say “yes” more than I say “no”.
19. I’m willing to, what most people call, “fail”. To me, it’s merely results. A guidance system.
20. I practice minimalism and moderation. Knowing when enough is enough.

Finally, I’ve learned firsthand that beyond food, shelter, and clothing, more money and more things do not proportionally increase happiness. More often than not, the opposite is true.

It’s amazing what people will do to impress others… even people they don’t know or necessarily care for.