Support for the Little Things That Steal Our Energy
We all need others. We all need support. We were not created to do it alone. We need a tribe to lean on - a pack to call our own.
For those of us with deep rooted independence, this can be a lifelong challenge to seek support. It can be hard for us to know when to ask for support, how to define what we need, and even harder for us to actually allow ourselves to receive the support. And hiring support, or investing in it, well that is just the hardest step for us because we can ALWAYS create an excuse as to why we do not need the support.
I recently had the epiphany that I was putting my own laundry last - the washing, the folding, and especially the putting away. I had taken care of everyone except for me, again. And I keep getting really frustrated and telling myself "this is the last time." We just moved to a new home as a part of my health journey and yet again, my laundry was an issue. AGAIN. The solution hit me while I was washing all of our bedding at the local laundromat. I looked around and watched the laundry attendant do laundry for someone who was not there and then she folded it!!! It smacked me in the face that I had "choice" over controlling this energy leak; this chaotic pattern th5at has repeated itself since I became a mom nearly 10 years ago. The choice: I could outsource my own laundry. I could drop it off, have it washed and folded, and then bring it back home once a week for approximately $15 per week.
Moments later, the excuses rolled in - working hard to convince me that I could just do it myself. They included:
1) It's faster if I do it myself.
2) Why would I spend money on that when I can just do it AND it won't take me that long?!
3) If only I worked more hours or more efficiently, I could just get it done.
4) In fact, if I just work from home and multi-task, I can do it while I work.
5) Training someone else takes more time than just doing it myself.
6) I will never be able to find someone who can do this or do this as good as me. Yes, this excuse popped up even though I just found a laundromat that could do it.
Remember, it is not always about the cost as much as it is about your time cost savings. Compound time savings and energy savings are REAL as small business owners. We can make far more money when we spend our time seeking revenue, and doing tasks that light us up, rather than in doing all of the work and all of the tasks. This includes tasks both personally and professionally. The most successful people I know have learned the art of hiring and delegating with ease and have dropped their ego that tells them they have to know how to do something before they ask someone else to do it.
This reality of needing others is particularly hard for people like me who have found GREAT success in life with grit, sheer determination, independence and sleep deprivation. I have to remind myself that what got me here, what once served me, WILL NOT get me there. And where is there? For me, it's healing from my health crisis. Outsourcing support is particularly crucial for me as I dive back into my business and my passions while recovering from mold toxicity, liver failure and autoimmune disease. They hit me hard in March of 2022. And outsourcing some supports my goal of settling into our new home with grace and ease, and even with some rest.
It's hard to seek support, so I have created a simple system that I teach in my new Build and Nurture Your Wolfpack course.
One of my tricks is to schedule delegation days, and mine are on Friday. So this Friday when I do school drop off, I will also drop off my own laundry. Will it go perfectly? Probably not! But I will adjust it and tweak it and figure out what works and what doesn't. I will embrace this outsourcing option with a large dose of creativity, flexibility and joy.
What small things come quickly to your mind that you can try to outsource this week to create more space in your life?
