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Halloo,
The secret of working successfully with chronic pain is to know your limits.
I made this discovery in a hard way!
One of the things owning a small business did for me is to give me focus- something else to worry about apart from my never-ending pain.
My online small business is like a crutch, something that props me up in the morning, even on crappy days that I just don’t want to face the world.
You have no idea how grateful I am for this business and what it has taught, shown me, and gave me.
But, all these won’t have been possible, if I didn’t set down some rules for myself.
One of the rules is to strictly determine how many hours I can work a day. At the initial stage if my pain wasn’t too bad I will keep working until I am exhausted. Which is great, but…
I quickly discovered that doing this made me so wrecked that I may end up with really bad pain that made it impossible to work for weeks.
So, I work for just a few hours a day whether my pain is bad or not.
Another thing is I read a lot of books on small businesses, and I tried to follow the advice given in them, but I know that it will be detrimental to me to follow some of this advice, not because they are bad advice but my circumstances and health won’t go with that.
Like going to conferences, summits, and networking events. I hardly do these because, as beneficial as they are, I come back from these things exhausted, and disorientated. A feeling that could last for days.
I get lots of great suggestions and opportunities offering from Established Entrepreneurs, and I just know that most of it won’t be for me. I am wired differently.
But because of me knowing my limits and working within it, it seems I do a lot more than I really do.
Believe me, if you have a health condition that limits you in a certain way, please don’t sweat it.
Look at those things you can still do within your strength, it may not be a lot, but the satisfaction of doing something will do wonders for your confidence, self-esteem, health, and general happiness.
Our limits should be a guide to what to avoid, not things to dwell on.
One last word, please stay focused. Because as you progress in your journey, opportunities will come knocking, but you have to remember to always put it to the test- ‘is this within my limit?’
I get more joy from directing some of the opportunities that come my way to other small business owners who can benefit from them.
A lady once told me that those I am mentoring about starting small businesses and pointing out great opportunities to are just taking advantage of me as I don’t charge them any fee.
My explanation is simple- I share this information for my own personal growth, these ladies have the strength to go farther than I can. Just because I can’t doesn’t mean I should block those who can.
I celebrate their successes as if they were mine.
There is an African saying- The sky is wide and spacious enough for birds to fly without bumping into each other.
I am not in this space to compete. All I want to do is make my life counts for something, read my short write-up on this.
Lao Tze said ‘Because she competes with no one, no one can compete with her.’
It is a no-brainer really if you are living with any form of chronic illness and want to start a business, have a career, or things like that, you really need to know your limits and work within it.
Those who have more strength than you do will be wondering how you get so much done.
Common, go for it!
Stay with me,
Ruka
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