7 Lifestyles That Will Be Beneficial To You As a Small Business Owner.

1. Praying: I am not trying to sound spiritual here (which isn’t bad) but in my journey as an entrepreneur, I have experienced the essence of God in my life. You can only do your best as a human being but the one who blesses all your efforts has more power than you can think of. I will leave you with Proverbs 16:9 and Psalm 37:5. Challenge: Don’t have time to pray? Or don’t know how to pray? Solution: The moment you wake, say something, anything to God. Tell him how you feel. He is the best friend you can ever have.  If you don’t know how to pray, start with the Lords prayer! If it will help, I recommend you get a bible app and meditation app.

2. Exercising:

This cannot be overemphasized. Sometimes we are consumed with the passion to succeed and make money to the point that we forget to take care of ourselves. When last did you exercise? Exercising makes you come alive and keeps your senses alert! Challenge: Don’t have time to exercise? Find it difficult to exercise? Solution: If you find it difficult to exercise, you can start with as little as raising your legs while lying on your bed, stretch your hands and shoulders, your neck and you can do little squats. Alternatively, you can join gyms near you.  I exercise in my room immediately after my prayers. You can start from there too

3. Networking:

A man is wealthy by the number of people he knows. This is a popular saying where I come from. Networking helps you grow your influence and also creates some form of awareness for your business. When networking, learn how to talk about your business in a line or two. Dress well. Smell nice. Put on a charming smile. Listen more. Remember that it’s not about you but about getting to know the other person better. Resolve to network with at least 2-4 people in the room. Take a complimentary card with you and don’t forget to follow up. Challenge: Too shy to network? Solution: You can start with one person. Look for conversation starters to help you connect with the person. Avoid asking with a yes or no answer. You can also read great networking tips on Skillstribe if you are an introvert.

4. Reading books:

Whenever I see a book, I begin to imagine the wisdom in it. Books are shortcuts to being with people we may never get to meet in life (dead or alive). It helps sharpen your vocabulary and widen your scope of knowledge. Books come in various formats – hard copy, soft copy a.k.a ebooks, audiobooks etc. For audiobooks, you can explore audible. For ebooks, explore pdfdrive.net or amazon kindle. For hard copies, Amazon. If you are Nigerian and want to buy some Amazon books in Nigeria, check out Boldozbookstore, Laternabooks and Bellabooksdistributors.

5. Meditation:

Amidst the noise in the world, in your business, in your family, in your environment – do you ever find time to be on your own? Do you find time to have a conversation with yourself? Do you find time to have a conversation with God? quiet times are one of the priceless lifestyles that you can imbibe as a small business owner. So many things can come to you during your moment of meditation. You should take it seriously. Challenge: Don’t know how to meditate? Solution: Find a quiet place. Close your eyes. Start with a heart of gratitude. Just flow.

6. Traveling:

Who run the world? Travellers!!! I can easily spot a traveller from the way they talk and how they handle situations. Their perspective on life is always different because of the privilege they have had to mingle with people from different walks of life. I admire travellers a lot! Asides books, travelling is one of the best ways to learn. Challenge: No money to travel? Solution: Start where you are. If you live in Lagos, Nigeria. Start traveling within Lagos. Next time, travel outside Lagos (states that are close). Travel to distant states and then make plans for close neighboring countries.

7. Listening to music:

This isn’t supposed to be on the list but hey, I’m the one adding value here so I will tell you why you should listen to music often! Music has a way of calming your nerves and speaking to your spirit. The sounds create some sort of imagination and positive vibe. This all depends on the kind of songs you listen to and what you hope to gain from the song. Strength? Reassurance? Motivation? Memories? Lessons? Deep words? You will find them in the art of music! Is there any other lifestyle you think an entrepreneur should imbibe? Which one of these are you trying out first? [ad name=”HTML”]