What is the greatest asset you have in your business?
I know the knee jerk reaction is “my customers” or “my employees”.
I know they are both great assets, but consider again. They are not the greatest.
You, are the greatest asset to your business. It is you!
Stephen Covey’s last habit, Habit 7 in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is about nurturing, enhancing, and balancing your greatest asset, which is you.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw.
WE ARE BAD AT TAKING CARE OF OURSELVES
As a general rule, we are not very good at nurturing ourselves. It is easy to get lost in life and business when everything falls on your shoulders. It can be overwhelming and I know the feeling of not wanting to stop and take a break until it is done.
If I stop, I lose ground.
To this day, I can be found at 11 PM watching “How to” videos while my wife is in bed and finally turns out the lights.
When I catch myself doing that, I realize I need to get back in balance.
I don’t have anything handled in this area of creating the lifestyle of a self-storage business owner, but I propose the following for your consideration.
It is a daily and weekly practice.
CREATE A ROUTINE
I start in the morning. I get up early before anyone in the house. The first hour is for my spiritual nurturing. I read inspiring and spiritual books and meditate. No screens or computers, just starting the day off connecting with something bigger than me and my concerns.
I have been doing this since the 1980’s. If this is not a practice you have and want some support, a resource is Hal Elrod’s “The Miracle Morning”.
Next, I don’t exercise every day, but schedule 3 times a week. In my younger years, it was every morning. Don’t neglect that. Over the years the difference in your staying power and overall well-being will most likely be a function of how well you honor this aspect of your life, along with…
Eating healthy. What goes in your mouth creates your body and energy! It’s that simple. If you eat right, you will be healthy and have energy.
Taking care of your well-being and nurturing yourself is your businesses greatest asset. It is not that complicated and it is not a monumental task. I invite you to consider it is best done daily and weekly, not some grand vacation once or twice a year, or when you are established and have the money.
Creating balance and organizing your life style to create the energy needed for what we are up to is a daily practice.
We are creating and growing our self-storage business to create a life style we love. The secret is you don’t have to wait until you are “there” to experience it.
You can experience at this moment what you are seeking, fulfillment, joy, and the experience of well-being. If you take responsibility and nurture yourself daily.
WRAP UP ON SEVEN HABITS
Dr. Covey’s Seven Habits are a timeless methodology that is a great backdrop to keep present as we grow our self-storage business.
We have just touched the surface, but my hope is you will take a deep dive and experience all the richness that being in this fantastic business can offer us. I love every aspect of it, and for the long game, remember, sharpen the saw.
P.S.
One final note, I get a lot of questions that I answer, and I think they would benefit others as well to hear the questions and my take on them.
I suggest that we use the Facebook link on this page and website to connect to the Facebook page that I have created for this community. If we can communicate to each other there, others can also get the benefit of the dialogue.
Feel free to keep emailing, but I may put your questions (anonymously if you wish) on Facebook as well and answer there.
Let me know your thoughts on that.
Thank you and as always, let me know how I can support you along the way in this great self-storage business.
