When the 'All-Hats' Wearer Becomes Blue.

The trouble with wearing multiple hats in your business is when YOU, the do-it-all hat wearer, become ill, there is no replacement. Pandemic aside, most of us never prioritize our health, physical or mental, over what we perceive as more important (e.g., money, success).

How do I know? It just happened to me.

I learned about the exploitation of labor very early in life. Yet, I fell victim as we all invariably will. It begins in your formal training to become an employee in school. Who'd have thought the class clown would grow into a titan in business or fall for the work harder to be rewarded notion, oh and the classic question of life, what do you want to be when you grow up. Often amounts to a dream deferred or denied.

I AM a storyteller. As far back as I can remember, all I've ever wanted was to tell stories, didn't matter the medium or vehicle, as long as people learned something through one of the oldest forms of knowledge transfer, my gift to the world. That dream remains alive within me. It was only recently that I journeyed to do the unthinkable, free myself from the rat race of working for others to work for myself.

I've never prioritized my health. So, recently when pains in my body resurfaced like an old friend coming to chat, I did what I always do. There lies the rub. It didn't work. Now, there was no question my health didn't ask or request my attention. It demanded it.

I liken my status as an entrepreneur to that of a new parent. Regardless of the decades of experience handling other children, it's vastly different when nurturing my own. The reality of wearing all hats (roles) in my business weighted me after a loyal follower of my blogs sent an email asking about the lack of new content and a service request couldn't be accommodated. All I could do was cry because I wasn't in a position to work. Slowly, I am making progress. Though I am not 100%, I relish a couple of lessons learned.

• If you don't prioritize your health, it will diminish you.

• Review the pros and cons of how & why you work and with whom. If the 'you' in the equation is on the inequitable side. What are you willing to do about it?

• Most business owners exist with proven ideas and products. An entrepreneur risks failure to achieve with the new and unproven.

• The definition of success isn't money. It's subjective, as unique as your fingerprint or dreams.

Yes, I incurred losses. It will happen when you start with little to no assistance, but I didn't sign up to quit. My gift still has a presence in the world and the marketplace. What I gained in prioritizing my health is priceless. I only wished I'd have realized the bs of others' agendas and done a better job of it sooner.