When It’s Not Just Business and It’s All Too Personal

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I do not have this mix figured out. I do not have a work/life balance and I can’t seem to wrap my head around how to mix business with pleasure without one feeling like they are hanging on by a thread.

As an entrepreneur, I feel like I should. I feel like I should have this magical ability that allows me to shift focus and priorities at the snap of my fingers. And I feel like I should be able to intertwine my personal stories in my business because – well, I’m living it. So it should be pretty easy to tell the truth.

Wrong.

And wrong again.

Instead of an ability to shift focus and priorities, I have the ability to try to take everything on at once and feel like the weight of the world is always crushing me. And instead of intertwining business and pleasure, they collide and shine a really flippin’ negative light on my idealistic view of life.

And then I scramble.

I try to put all the pieces back together in my Humpty Dumpty life and keep them in tact until the next gale knocks them out. It’s a vicious cycle that has ended in tears more often than not and I loathe the fact that I continue to follow the same unproductive footsteps that lead me there.

I cannot seem to figure out a way to find a balance between our shop, this blog and my life outside of both. Even a balance that swings heavily one way from time to time, but always finds it’s way back around. It does not exist for me. I’m constantly trying to dig my way out of a tight deadline for orders with our shop, or multiple sponsored opportunities with this blog, or a mountain of laundry and a clutter home. My life is full and I consider that a blessing most of the time, but there has got to be a better way to manage it.

And on top of that, I fail (and I fail hard) when it comes to bringing my personal life into this blog and our shop. While I fully understand that this is not a requirement and some would even advise against doing that, it’s not me. I want to be open and honest. I want to bring a personal touch to what I do and I want that to be how I connect with others whether it’s through these posts, or through sales we make, or even the personal connections I make with people.

Over the years, I’ve closed my doors and have battened down the hatches when it comes to opening up when it comes to our shop and this blog. I struggle with what to share, what not to share. What will effect the image or the brand. What will steer a customer or reader away and what will draw them in. The simple truth is that it shouldn’t matter. I won’t please everyone and those that turn away aren’t meant for what I have to offer anyway. But how do I embrace that? How do I follow through with the actions that represent those powerful thoughts?

Unfortunately, I have no advice. I prefer to end these posts with some sort of inspirational message on how I fixed my problems and moved forward. But I haven’t fixed it. And instead, I’m seeking your help on how to fix it. Whether you’re self-employed and know my struggles or just have a plate full of a different variety of responsibilities – I don’t care. If you’re busy, I’m sure there’s something you do that I could be doing. But if you’re in the same boat as I am, say hi. Let me know I’m not alone. And maybe we can figure out how to make life a little bit less complicated.

So today, I ask: How do you mix business with pleasure? How do you find balance in all of the chaos? How do you create that personal connection in your business?