Energy is Everything: The Ins and Outs of My Latest Business Decision
I’ve been thinking a lot about energy. Specifically the energy we put into our jobs, relationships, health, and finances. If the energy we put into those things is depleted or negative, it’s naturally going to create depleted and negative outcomes.
This depletion of energy is often called burnout, and many people have experienced the effects of it. Burnout “occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.”
There are physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms of burnout, meaning it attacks all areas of your life. It “reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.”
And dear reader, this is exactly where I’m at—with nothing more to give.
I contemplated whether or not to be so blunt with it, but being vulnerable is one of my superpowers and I felt it misaligned not to tell you the honest truth.
I’m taking the month of March off from Butterfly work.
With the exception of publishing paid ads from an advertiser, I won’t be doing any work on the magazine for a few weeks. No articles and no meetings, but perhaps the occasional social post (thanks to my amazing social media manager, Ki).
I have worked tirelessly on my business for over a year now and of one thing I am sure—Butterfly will never succeed if the energy I’m putting into it is lackluster. I keep using that word with people because that’s exactly my vibe right now.
Dull. Lifeless. Uninspired. Weak.
I think there are several things contributing to my aura. The weather in Erie has been pretty unbearable. I haven’t consistently worked out in months. I’m overwhelmed by my first bout of credit card debt. I’m struggling to find the right medication dosage. And on top of all that, I’ve been overworking myself to cover all the bases of my business.
It’s too much, and I’m not ashamed or nervous or reluctant to say that. Burnout is part of the stage of life I’m in, and I deserve to honor it. I deserve to give it what it wants most—a true breather.
So, I am. And in conjunction with that, I’m giving you, dear reader, the permission to breathe too. Because we all deserve that, no matter what society tells us.
I won’t subscribe to running myself into the ground. I will prioritize my mental health and energy. And I will listen to my intuition as it speaks to me. That’s just the kind of person, woman, and business owner I am.
After all, my brand aims to celebrate the many forms of womanhood, and who would I be if I neglected the very energy inside me? I can physically feel in my body what’s right for me and what’s wrong.
Taking this break feels good. My inner knowing has calmed down because I’ve acknowledged it. I’m starting to breathe normally again. I’m following its path and my nervous system is relaxing.
But society teaches us that business decisions must be logical—that we can’t be CEO if we go off emotions. That being honest about breaks will hurt your business. That your intuition isn’t deserving of being heard.
Well, guess what?
I disagree.
This doesn’t mean I don’t love my business or want it to succeed. But it does mean that I won’t put my business’s needs in front of my own. I can’t function in that space—it doesn’t work for me in my body. Just like being quiet about my break doesn’t work well in my body.
And if I act in alignment with the energy of my intuition, I truly believe the readers, followers, and investors will come.
So, yes, for the month of March you can find me serving, moving my body, and watching Sex & the City for the millionth time. I need this break from my business to get back to a healthy version of myself—mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially.
I will speak about this time with great pride for the way I trusted myself and the universe. It will be my biggest asset as a business owner. And it will be the very thing that makes that young woman entrepreneur feel less alone.
How lucky am I?
