Life Success, Business Success or Both aka Can You Have It All?
“To follow without halt, one aim; there is the secret of success. And success? What is it? I do not find it in the applause of the theater; it lies rather in the satisfaction of accomplishment.†– Anna Pavlova
As a working woman, is it possible to “have it allâ€; the career, a family, travel, financial security, flexibility, life balance? Can you have both a successful life and a successful business?
Whether the term is “mompreneurâ€, “lifestylepreneurâ€, “socially responsible†entrepreneur using the triple bottom line or “culturally creative woman entrepreneurâ€, there is one key distinguishing element: maintaining a successful life, not just a successful business!
Historically, businesses existed for two reasons only, growth and profit! In the past few years, there has been a movement to broaden the range of business models, designs and the “reason for beingâ€. The shift is from “working for your business†to “having your business work for you†so that you can live an incredible life!
Mompreneurs, or women who work from home, often chose this way of working as it allows them to be home with their children and grow a business. Profit is sometimes secondary to life balance and flexibility.
Lifestylepreneurs design businesses that provide an income to allow them freedom, flexibility and life balance.
The “socially responsible entrepreneur using a triple bottom line†pays attention to: profit, the planet and the people impacted by their business.
“Culturally creative women entrepreneurs†employ the triple bottom line and have a strong orientation towards personal growth, spirituality and exploring their inner life. These women tend to integrate business with their life purpose and design businesses that “do well by doing goodâ€. Their business tends to be their “self-actualization†and brings a deeper sense of meaning and fulfillment into their lives.
About 8 years ago as I was transitioning out of health care and into coaching, doing my coach training with Corporate Coach U, one of our assignments was to write a 1-2 sentence definition of living a “successful lifeâ€. Here is what I wrote: ‘Living a successful life means spending time with my family and having health, time and money for travel, yoga and reading, working from home three days a week while the kids are at school.’
From this description it is clear that time, family and travel are what I valued and my work supported this. I was in the “mompreneur†category. My definition of a successful life has changed somewhat over the years as our family and I have gotten older and my current definition goes like this: ‘Living a successful life means doing what I love, while spending time with those I love so that I can give back to the community and planet that I love’! I would now put myself in the “culturally creative women entrepreneur†category!
How would you define a successful life for yourself? What about a successful business? Can you combine the two? Give it a try. Start with writing out a paragraph and then try to distill your definition to 1-2 sentences. As you progress through this exercise and gain clarity, it will serve as a touch stone for you and your business and give you an anchor from which to make business decisions. And, guess what, this is part of your business planning!
Success
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
– Bessie Stanley
namaste,
Zoey
Zoey Ryan, PCC
coach . catalyst . shakti sage
life & business coach for women
“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”
www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com
www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com
604-323-3700