Soul Proprietor - When life has other plans.

41 was a tough year.

I had been sailing along just fine. Kids were in college. Marriage was great. Both businesses were flourishing.

Then the bottom dropped out.

My mother died.

She passed away suddenly and left behind an elderly husband with health problems, a house in need of major repairs, and a mountain of secret debt. I had to step in and assume responsibility.

I thought I had that handled. But the Universe decided to tighten the screws.

My children’s father died two years later so now I had two grieving children to take care of too. My favorite cat passed away two weeks after that. A bitter war with my siblings came to a head when Dad needed to move. Selling his house became a nightmare due to a down market and a condemned well.

And on and on and on…I won’t spare you with any more depressing details but this should give you a taste of what my life was like from ages 41 to 45.

It sucked.

During this period, I still had to run two businesses.There was no time at all for my own grieving. All I did was worry about dad, work, stress, eat, work, worry about my kids, and worry some more.

Why am I telling you all this when it’s been years since that gloom ‘n doom period of my life?

It’s because we don’t consider that life sometimes has other plans. Plans that can derail even the best laid businesses.

An illness, the death of a loved one, an accident, a divorce, a slow period….there are many things that we have no control over. Even the most nimble entrepreneur isn’t prepared for every curveball. I wasn’t.

What can you do when life hands you a sour lemon as you’re trying to fill orders and take good care of your clients?

Think ahead now. Ponder what you might do if tragedy or drama shows up at your door. Do you have a contingency plan for disasters? Who will run the show if the worst happens? What strategies do you have in place to protect your business? Where will you get help if you need it? (I didn’t have a plan B and it was a mistake. I had to learn the hard way.)

Set aside some cash. Create an emergency fund so that you have money available if you cannot work.

You might have to rearrange your life. My schedule had to change so that I could be present for my family. That meant creating a whole new calendar.

You will have to schedule time for you. I am a workaholic by nature and I threw myself into work instead of making myself a priority. On one hand, it was therapeutic. Focusing on other people’s problems is a handy way to ignore your own. Until one day, you crack and the next thing you know, you’re crying in front of your yoga students. Yeah, that. Put some time aside regularly for self care during tough times. You’ll need it.

You may have to put your work aside…or quit. In my case, that didn’t happen but it might in yours. Do not feel bad if you must shut the door. There are times when this is necessary. If your health or your loved ones need more attention, close shop. You can always reboot later.

We can manage our businesses as tight as we want but, in the end, it’s an illusion. All it takes is one incident and you quickly realize that you’re not in control. That’s when you need to stop, assess, and pull out your plan B (or C, D, etc.). How you roll during the turbulent times will depend on you. Think ahead and you may just sail through the rough waters with a bit more Zen in your sails.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” ~ Allen Saunders

Blessings,
Theresa

@Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2015