I was talking to a business owner just this morning. We were talking about were his business goals, but it became very clear that he wasn’t actually fulfilled. This is a common conversation with business owners. What came evident is that he was actually scheduling time in his calendar for sales, for marketing, for his staff, and for his family, but what he wasn’t doing was prioritizing the time for himself. He wasn’t filling his own cup.
People were coming into him every single day draining, asking him for the answers, asking him how should I do this, how should I do that, how should I live my life? He was an idol to many people, but what he wasn’t doing was fill his cup back. See, people were drawing from him on regular basis. It was beating him down, and he was just trying to give and give more. That was just nature. He’s just a great person. But what he wasn’t doing was refilling his own emotional cup, his own emotional bank, filling his soul.
How often do you do this, or do I, right? How often do we schedule our weeks out and our ideal week going after our goals and our dreams, and filling in those big rocks, if you’re doing it right? But a lot of times, we neglect the big rocks of our own soul or filling our own cup, those things that make us happy.
So what I recommended to him was to take at least three times each week, when you’re planning out your week, you’re planning out your meetings, you’re planning out what you’re going to do and what’s going to happen, plan out those big rocks, those chunks that are going to fill your cup. What are they to you?
Now for me, it’s going outside. It’s going into the mountains. It’s taking the adventure van and my family away. It’s going snowboarding or skiing. It’s really just having an epic adventure, right? That’s what fills my soul. Or playing sports. I love doing that. So I have to schedule that in, because if I don’t, running multiple businesses, people will fill my schedule instantly. In fact, just with LinkedIn requests for time for meetings alone for people I don’t even know would completely fill my calendar in a week or if not two weeks, easily on a given day, so I have to really guard my time closely. What I really have to do is schedule those fill your cup moments.
Now, when we talk about the Author of Your Own Story lifestyle, a lot of times we talk about freedom. There’s freedom in the scheduling if you do it properly, and part of that is scheduling time for yourself. What is it that fills you up? What is it that lights you up every time you do it? Is it going to the movies? Is it hanging out with friends? Or are you like me? You like epic adventures, and you like going out into the mountains and doing something crazy like that? Is it playing sports? Is it going to the gym? Is it playing music? Is it painting?
Whatever it is for you, what I want you to do is write those things down and make sure you’re scheduling those things for yourself as a priority. Because as you step in and step up to Author Your Own Story lifestyle, people are going to ask you for more and more. Why? Because you’re inspiring people. You’re doing what most people only talk about. When you’re a doer, when you’re somebody that people start looking up to, they want to draw from you.
Now, it’s not a negative thing, right? They’re coming to you because they’re looking to you with hope, and they want to withdraw deposits from you. They ask questions, take your time, steal some of your energy, right? There are energy vampires out there. We know that, and I’m sure you can think of somebody right off the top of your head that’s one of them. So what you want to do is protect, sacredly protect filling your cup, because you can’t actually spill out into other people unless you’re completely filled. If you get drained and people are still trying to draw from you, and maybe you’re like me, or you’re like this business owner, and you just want to give to people, then you’re going to get run down. You’re going to get sick. You’re going to get tired. You’re going to get angry, moody. All of these things. You’ll actually repulse people and push them back, you know, unintentionally, simply because you just haven’t taken the time to fill your own cup.
So here, today, I’m asking you to prioritize yourself in your schedule. So grab your schedule right now. If you’re driving, you’re working out at the gym, take a break. I know a lot of you do. But as soon as you get home, I want you to schedule. Grab your phone, whatever it is, and schedule at least three chunks, at least 90 minutes. Of course, that’s just an arbitrary number. Three chunks in your week where you’re filling your cup, doing things for yourself, whatever that is. Maybe it’s getting a massage or making an appointment. Maybe it’s reading a book, or maybe it’s catching up on the daily growth hacks and applying them. Maybe that’s what fills you up. I don’t know. To each of us, it’s going to be different.
Remember, this is your story and so we want to make sure you’re ready. As soon as you keep building, people are going to make withdraws, and as you’re filling your cup, you’re going to be able to give at such a higher level. That’s what I want for you.
That’s it for me today. As always, go to authorofyourownstory.com where you get the latest tips, tricks and techniques delivered right to your inbox. And please, if you’re enjoying these, not only share these with a friend but leave us a review right here where you’re listening or watching these daily growth hacks. It means so much to us. Our team really, really thrives on those, because we know we’re giving value and we spend so much time on these daily growth hacks.
Remember, go out today, inspire somebody simply by being the Author of Your Own Story.
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