It doesn't sound too difficult, but trying to keep your mind in a good place while you're starting up a business is pretty damn hard.
No one could ever have warned me about the difficulties I would face, the money I would lose, the stress I would feel, when I left my job to start a new company.
Albeit some people did try to warn me (my family) but my heart was already set on flying the nest and taking a leap of faith.
Goss.ie has been live since June and since then the company has faced a number of unexpected situations. From the legal aspect to staffing to cashflow problems.
Everyone says it's never good to keep work on your mind when you go home, that you have to be able to leave it behind, but when you are running a 24/7 showbiz news website that's not really possible.
And to be honest I've never been able to unwind properly and leave my work behind. But the more I get into running my own business, the more I'm realising how important it is to take some time for me.
The best advice I can give to anyone else in a start up situation, who is losing sleep and stressing out, is to just pause and take a breath.
Think about how far you've come and what you've achieved already. I love this quote from Richard Branson, because it reminds me that even if I fail, even if the business fails, at least I had the guts to take the risk.
Sometimes it's easier to drown in self-pity and worry instead of patting yourself on the back. But if you don't congratulate yourself on what you've done, who will?
I 100% believe in positive thinking so the happier you are, the better you are to yourself, the more good things will happen.
Don't get me wrong sometimes I want to hit my head against a wall rather than pat myself on the back, but I try to stop the wallowing and look at the positives.
The Top 10 things I do to relax and stay positive:
1. Write down a list of all the things I've achieved so far... it's normally about two pages long, this makes me feel happy :)
2. Take a time out for myself (even just an hour) and step away from my phone & laptop. I'm known for falling asleep with my phone by my head, my iPad on, my laptop beside me and earphones in my ears...so sometimes I really have to switch everything off
3. Do something fun! Whether it's catching a movie or meeting a friend for a drink I have to remember that there's more to life than Werk (sometimes)
4. Go home to my family. I feel much more relaxed when I'm away from the city and chatting to my sisters and my parents always gives me a new perspective on things and reminds me what's important
5. Listen to some of my favourite music and relax in bed (I'll upload my relaxation playlist on the blog soon)
6. Get stuck into a TV series without any distractions (The Leftovers, The Fall, Modern Family and Law & Order SVU are my favourites right now)
7. Drink a cup of green tea and remind myself that I'm only 24 and I run my own business (WTF)
8. Call my bestie. Nothing beats a drawn out chat where I over analyze everything and rant to my heart's content
9. Read The Secret. If you haven't read it yet please do! It changed my life and I re-read it when I start feeling negative
10. I visualise where I want to be in a months time, in six months time, in a year's time and tell myself I can do it and plan how I will make it happen
Ali
x
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