Being an Entrepreneur Can Kick Your Ass

Recently, my husband and I were playing a couple’s board game where we had to count the trips that we had taken- just us. My husband and I have been together for almost a decade and the trips we haven’t taken alone total six. The first two were before any kiddos were born and the rest of the trips were little two-day excursions, except for our four-day honeymoon and right back to work we went! 

We rarely go on dates because the planning that has to happen is more work! Most of our alone time together is when the kids are at their grandmother’s, and we are at home just crashing from working so hard. At this point, we don’t want to go anywhere or do anything!

This year, I said it’s going to be different! This year one of my goals was more alone time and more vacation time, so spontaneously I booked an Alaskan cruise where we would be gone for nine days! Nine days! What was I thinking? How in the world did I think we were going to get away with this when we can barely have a date night?

And here comes Summer with its wild twisty turns and a market shift and me opening a new business, and the economy being unpredictable, so we decided that trying to get away for nine days would be an absolute train wreck. We canceled the trip, mainly due to the fact, that there are certain goals that we need to reach, and there are certain things that we need to have in place before we can dip out of town on a luxury vacation. 

It hurt my feelings so bad to do it, because I had to total it up with all the other 9 million sacrifices that I’ve made for the sake of entrepreneurship over the last 19 years. But what keeps me going and what I have to believe is that the sacrifices that I make will have a reward in the end. 

You see, my goal is not to continually have and do more, but to work hard and sacrifice now in order to get to a place of freedom. That’s the dream. Is it yours too?

So, I’ll cancel this vacation, but I am still dreaming of the days and times where I will be free to come and go as I please. Where I can say to my husband, let’s go away for a week and it’s no problem at all, because I know those days are coming. I’ve promised them to myself. 

So many people think that working for yourself means that you can do everything you want to do when you want to do it. Especially family members that get frustrated when you can’t drop everything because you’re the boss, you can make your own schedule, right? It’s usually quite the opposite! So go into it with this information and don’t let others’ expectations of what you should be doing with your time overshadow your goals. 

What sacrifices have you made now or in the past to maintain your business or your dreams? Or are you now reaping the benefits of your hard work and sacrifices? I want to know, because I know in the end that it’s all going to be worth it!