Detoxing and Affirmations: An Entrepreneur’s Promise

by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jul 5, 2016 | Advice, Featured, Life, Work/Life

Background image courtesy of createherstock.com.

Aristocracy of HR community, the time has come for your Czarina to take a break. In 2013, I started off my year by speaking about “introspection and execution” (see here for that post). I made some promises to myself and put some things out in the universe that make more sense in 2016 than they did back then. It’s time for me to make good on what I promised myself, but first a look back and some updates.

Here’s what I promised myself in 2013:

Three Affirmations, Three Executions:

 1) Be a signal in the noise that is the world of work. I may not be the loudest signal now, but I will be that signal that makes you stop what you’re doing and ask what is that noise? You won’t ask it out of annoyance; but you will wonder where it came from and how you missed it the first time around.

2016 realization: The signal is clear and received. I have found my lane and I am thankful for the platform I continue to build.

2) I will do something extraordinary and assist those that endeavor to do something extroardinary. There is something magical about being a part of something that is bigger than all of us. I want to collaborate, coordinate, create, envision, innovate all in the name of HR. It has already begun and the story behind this will unravel as the year progresses.

2016 update: I have done some really cool things since 2013. Many of my accomplishments have been in HR, but most have been outside of the realm of HR. It’s important to take stock of where you are, where you have been and relish in your accomplishments. I am tardy to the party on this.

3) I will introspect and continue to live life with purpose. The spirit requires balance and as such I will need to examine all that I do and adjust as necessary to maintain balance and productivity. I’m not running myself into the ground like I did in 2012. Consistency, SEO, clicks – it all sounds good, and I care, but not at the demise of my well-being. If one aspect of my life is out of sync- it’s all out of whack. My personal time is making a comeback this year.

2016 update: I’m still doing my best to not run myself into the ground. I have found that finding balance between work and life is not a destination, but rather a journey.

When you are a one-woman act it all comes down to you. The articles, PR, the editing, running your business, hosting a livestream show, juggling three kids ages 7 and below etc make for many focuses, quick wardrobe changes and many hats. I have been doing this and much more in my quest for success since 2013.  However, I have to consistently remind myself of why I went into business in the first place.

Three main reasons why I took this leap into entrepreneurship were:

1) To be more available for my kids.

2) To get out of the rut of rising the ranks of an organization that gleaned no personal or professional satisfaction. 

3) To have more flexibility to fully enjoy my life. 

This year, I have decided to make good on my promises to myself about flexibility. That means that I am taking deliberate actions to play as hard as I work, while managing my tribe and their affairs more efficiently. Please know that this is not a perfect science. Any Work-At-Home Mama knows any good plan can be thwarted by life and your kids – despite our best of intentions.

Here are some things I have put in place to make good on these promises I made to myself:

1) I am being intentional about flexing my work week. I’ve cut my work days down to four days and it may go to three at times. I will obviously continue to put in the necessary hours to keep my business on a growth trajectory ; but I am no longer working for the sake of working.

2) Building in dedicated time for family and myself to decompress from the work week. We all deserve time to zone out and just be.

3) Whether it is ordering groceries or hiring a virtual social media strategist to keep my profiles humming – delegation at this point in my business is necessary for the maintenance of my sanity and continued growth.

All of that being said, I’m taking a break from the blog and social media for the next two weeks.  I will return on July 18th. There will be no real-time instagramming, snapchatting, livestreaming, facebooking or awe-inspiring workforce wisdom coming from this here blog. I need a moment to regroup and relax – which is something that has become a priority for me.

Through the magic of delegation and various platforms you will continue to see my posts and shares.

I am really excited to spend quality time with my family during this break. Most importantly, I am excited to wake up and know that there is nothing I need to do other than put on my swimsuit and head to my cabana near the pool.

I want you all to know that I appreciate all of the support, shares, kind words and encouragement I get from you all. It means a lot to me and keeps me going and grinding.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer so far. See you back here in two weeks.

See below for some of my favorite content for 2016 and things to look forward to.

TRUST ME, I DON’T WANT YOUR JOB! 

A Perfect Union: Talent Management and Predictive Analytics

Letting Go: Three Functions HR May Want To Delegate Responsibility For

High-Volume Recruitment: 5 Things You Need to Manage a Successful Team

Be sure to catch me on Livestreaming Stars with Ross Brand on July 11th. You can read more about my appearance here.

Xoxo,

Janine a.k.a. CzarinaofHR