The Problem

You have a million things to do this week. You have a million things to do next week. When will you ever have fun?

You’re exhausted from being on-call 24/7 for your employees at work. You’ve hardly had enough time to breathe, let alone think about what’s going on in your business or personal life. And when you finally get home, you’re tired and crabby and all you want is a glass of wine and some time with your kids before they go to bed and it’s back to reality again.

The Misconception

As first-generation daughters, we were raised in households that forced us to strive for perfection in order to survive. Those straight A’s were our ticket to college. The college degree was our ticket to a stable career as a lawyer, doctor, or engineer! A stable career was supposed to be our ticket to success! But all this striving wasn’t making us happy, and it certainly wasn’t making us wealthy or healthy. We grow up with the lie:

“First-generation entrepreneurs aren’t supposed to have fun. We’re supposed to be able to create a business that takes care of our needs, supports our family, and clears our debts. Anything aside that distracts us from our true goals and will lead us to failure.”

I’m here to challenge that idea.

The Truth

The truth is that you can create the life and the business that gives you the greatest sense of fulfillment. You don’t have to wait to become rich before having fun. Having fun doesn’t mean spending tons of money. It means that you must know yourself and what makes you happy. You must learn from your mistakes and successes and look for ways to constantly improve on who you are and what you do every day.

The point of this blog post is not to say that you need to have fun in order to succeed as an entrepreneur (how many successful entrepreneurs do you know that have fun all day every day?). The point is that as a first-generation entrepreneur, apart from the need to physically and mentally de-stress periodically, you’re going to face challenges and obstacles along the way, and having something outside of your business can help you through those periods when you feel like giving up or feeling like there’s no hope for the future.

Define Success on Your Own Terms

When you’re getting started or making the transition from employee to entrepreneur, one of the first things that can trip you up is defining success for yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in what you think it means to be successful, but what does it mean to you? Does it mean missing out on important family events? Does it mean working non-stop with no breaks? Or does it mean finding joy and fulfillment in everything you do?

Whether it’s starting a new business or taking on an existing one, make sure that your definition of success is realistic and achievable. This means survival needs were prioritized over overall wellbeing. Leisure, rest, and play are REQUIRED parts of the human experience. Our bodies were designed for balance with rest, work, and play. Our bodies were not designed for perpetual work.

As a First Generation Entrepreneur, your life is supposed to be filled with work that inspires you, makes you excited to wake up, and allows you to be creative! Otherwise, what was the point of you starting your own business if it would literally be business as usual?

The BIG Change

Here are some ideas to help you find more balance between business and life:

1. Figure out when your business slows down. This could be at 2PM, 5PM or 9PM depending on what you do. Then schedule in “you” time during this window.
2. Make a list of the things you enjoy doing. Are they active like playing a sport? Or are they more relaxing like going on walks or doing yoga? Whatever it is, identify where you can fit these activities into your daily routine. For example, if you love hiking, go after work and make it part of your post-work routine. If yoga is your thing, do it right before bed every night.
3. Add “business” to your personal calendar. Figure out how long it takes for the tasks that need to get done each day (for example, if it takes 30 minutes for lunch plus 1 hour for meetings), and schedule them accordingly. If you’re depending on other employees to complete their tasks in order for yours to

Discover What is FUN to you

As a first-generation entrepreneur, I can relate to the feeling of having no time for yourself. The amount of work that goes into building a business is something I will never fully understand. But, there are a few things you can do to recharge and have fun!

1. Take time out of your day to exercise. If you don’t want to be bored, go for a walk/run outside or join a gym/get a trainer! Find something you enjoy doing and make it a part of your routine!

2. When was the last time you took an hour to hang out with friends? As entrepreneurs, we tend to push our personal lives aside in order to focus on growing our businesses but there is nothing wrong with getting away from it all once in a while.

3. Do you still have an old hobby you miss? It’s amazing what hobbies can do for your creativity and mental health. Hobbies can also give you new perspectives on your business which could lead to some breakthroughs or fresh ideas!

4. Start training for something else besides running your business! If you’re constantly going in circles, it might be hard to see new opportunities or connect with other people. Try something new such as cooking classes, group dance aerobics, yoga, or learning how to play an instrument

Conclusion

The bottom line is that balancing work, fun, and everything else in your life can be challenging. And while becoming a first Gen Entrepreneur comes with its own challenges, the rewards are plentiful – and well worth it. How will you play today?