Have you ever felt spiralling down in a never-ending dwell of people pleasing, multitasking, energy vampires and painful YES’s when all you wanted to do is say NO and have a moment for yourself? When you’re stretching yourself taking on just one more project, just one more hour of work, just one more email or phone call, just one more look at social media without catching your breath, so that you can then do the same in your personal life.
Being super busy does not necessarily mean you are productive, and it can easily backfire. Lack of boundaries can take a serious toll on your business and personal life and make it impossible to reach your goals. This can especially be overwhelming when your intention is to grow but you are playing every single role in your freelance business without much help.
When I started freelancing, I had a blog, oftentimes 2-3 different projects I undertook and even though I loved the work and enjoyed being my own boss I soon found myself in a place of chaos where I needed to go on but lacked the time and energy. I felt a huge deal of FOMO so I tried to be everything for everybody. This then eventually took me to the edge of burn out and of course, had a negative impact on my business, my personal life and my mental health.
Setting boundaries is a sign of self-respect and a skill that we can learn and improve. If neglected it can lead to frustration and depression and let’s be honest, we do not want that. Furthermore, it won't allow you to be authentic as a freelancer and as a woman. You can only go so far without a good sense of what YOU really want and who YOU really are. But when you start getting the idea of YOU amazing things will happen...
12 benefits I experienced once I’ve started to set healthy boundaries:
1. My relationships improved
2. Managing expectations somehow became easier
3. I learned a lot about my values and where I stand, what I want, who I am
4. I became aware of what’s within and beyond my control
5. My confidence got stronger and less dependent on other people’s ideas of me
6. Making decisions became easier
7. Creating harmony between freelancing and living my life got more effortless
8. Irritating people and situations started to rub off
9. I became more aware of me being passive aggressive
10. I began to notice that I had a choice
11. Rejection didn’t feel personal anymore
12. I was able to create better conditions in my freelance business, which then attracted clients who I could serve happily
If you are not sure you have healthy boundaries, ask yourself these questions:
· Do I feel guilty saying NO?
· Do I put my needs before other people’s wants?
· Do I feel like I deserve respect or is that something I “have” to earn by being “nice”?
If you are ready to start building some beautiful boundaries in order to thrive book a free discovery call with me. It’s a half an hour chat where you can tell me more about yourself and find out whether we are a good fit and how coaching could help you make a positive shift in your business and life. To do so, click on the green button at the right top of this page or email me at hello@fabwmn.com