Being a Girl Boss can be rewarding, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of taking on way too much in an effort to get those coins. I’m guilty.In the spring of 2015 I was coming off of a two-week trip to Europe, attempting to kick a severe cold, surgery, and my final semester of college. It did not go well.

 

I had a full schedule days after arriving and it only got worse from there when school started. I had 7am-9pm days, a new boyfriend, busy social life and a surgery that I barely recovered from. And because I didn’t properly heal I had to get the same surgery again 6 months later. Ugh.

 

It didn’t end there. In addition to my exhaustion I began to get debilitating back pain. I nearly fell asleep at the wheel on the way to my 7am client and my world came crashing down. I immediately sought the advice of my doctor and I knew something was wrong when I also broke down prior to a major school presentation.

 

As a result, my doctor required me to scale down my hours forcing me to complete much of my work from home due to my inability to sit down at a desk for long periods of time. I was bed ridden from the back pain and I nearly missed my graduation. My body seemed to be shutting down.

 

I made myself extremely ill just to get my money up. I was tired of not living the life that I wanted, so I sacrificed my health and it ended up hurting me and almost ruining my business. I had to scale back on hours and even had to let go of some of  my clients (This is how I started my Personal Training Business). A select few of my clients even got mad that I was no longer available to train them … Yes, people think you are only here for them!

Although I was happy with the income I was earning, I was unable to maintain that schedule long-term. Looking back at it now I don’t know what I was thinking. The warning signs were there. I barely had time to eat, let alone to study or rest.

 

As a self-employed entrepreneur, you’re trying to make ends meet and get things off of the ground without the help of others. It’s easy to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity and every client, but you cannot help others if you are unhealthy and  not practicing self-care. At the end of the day, you are your priority and no one else’s.

[bctt tweet=”It’s easy to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity and every client, but you cannot help others if you are unhealthy and not practicing self-care.” username=”flourish_ious”]

 

Don’t get me wrong. I love being self-employed but it is WERK. When you are first starting out, it won’t be as glamorous as you want it to be. You’ll be tired and you’ll be really busy. I missed out on countless events with my friends because I had to work, but I loved the financial freedom and not having to answer to anyone else. Self–employment helped me to really flourish and experience the life I dreamed of, but you need to be smart about it.

[bctt tweet=”Self–employment helped me to really flourish and experience the life I dreamed of, but you need to be smart about it.” username=”flourish_ious”]

Don’t forget to check out my “5 Things you Absolutely Need to Do With Your Business” featured  on YouNeedTribe.

TRIBE is a community for Women Of Color looking to provide them with the tools and network needed to reach their maximum potential.