Taking care of ourselves usually winds up last on the list for business owners. I thought grad school was a time management challenge---ha ha ha! Then I started my own business. Wow. That made grad school seem like a leisurely stroll on a balmy May day. I have learned along the way, however, that if I don't take time for me, I can pucker up and kiss my productivity good bye. I get plain old exhausted and can't think my way out of a paper bag. My decision making stinks. I wind up doing everything over. Why not just take some time to chill with a crap filled People magazine and allow my brain to recalibrate? In the end, I am much more productive.

In case it has been so long since you have pondered quality self-care, may I suggest you recharge the batteries in the following 4 areas of your life:

1. your physical self--take care of your body. Get outside into the sun, breathe, actually stick your nose into a big bundle of blossoms and sniff those babies. Feed yourself what you need; take time to eat food with some nutrients in it that your body can use rather than fast food. Sleep. Then sleep some more. Most of us are so sleep deprived that it isn't even funny. Cuddle up with a trusted partner for what Sasha Baron Cohen's character Borat called "Sexy Time". Yes, folks, making time for sex helps you feel frisky and happy. Stretch. Smile. Get a massage.
2. your emotional self--Be aware of your emotions. Talk to a friend, write in a journal, go see your counselor, whatever it takes to notice what you are feeling. If we don't notice when we are sad or worried, then that is when we start to have physical complaints like headaches and insomnia. Your body will tell you what is going on in your head. Holding emotions tightly inside is like holding the lid down on a boiling pot of water--eventually that sucker is gonna blow! We are emotional beings, and it is ok to have them, process them, and move on. We stay stuck and feeling yucky when we don't face our emotions.

3. your spiritual self--note I did not say "your organized religion" self. Spirituality encompasses any activity that brings you closer to your idea of the Divine, the Universe, God, the Big Cheese, Bob or whatever you like to call the creative energy that put us all here for this wacky dance called life. Sitting under a tree, marveling at a sun rise, going to a religious service on Sunday, chanting with a group...decide for you what spirituality is and then make time for it. You will feel more grounded, peaceful, and more easily trust that life will always work out in your best interest.

4. your funny bone self--you need to laugh. I mean, laugh until your stomach hurts. Not having any fun, or nothing to laugh at, just flat out stinks. I took my neices shopping last night, and they had me laughing so hard on the highway that I thought I would have to pull the car over. What a hoot! I am lucky that I laugh at anything, and I do mean anything. It is such a blessing. What does it take for you to laugh? Try Youtube. There are all kinds of ridiculous things on there; check out Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins". That is a mess. Go to a comedy club. Go drink beer at the Rathskellar with your silliest friend. This may seem like a waste of time, but it is a true investment in yourself. Try it--you'll like it.

Start scheduling YOU into your calendar, and see how that investment in time pays off. I guarantee it will.