I’ve managed long-term health challenges for the life of my business and in a weird way, this has been a blessing.
So many entrepreneurs allow their businesses to run their lives, eventually driving them into burnout or worse. Until your body is screaming at you for a change, it can be tempting to overwork it in the pursuit of your goals.
Unless you don’t have that option. When your body is already talking to you very loudly, you have to listen and honor what it needs.
My health struggles inspired me to start my business in the first place and throughout my entrepreneurial journey, they’ve motivated me to become a better leader. They’ve forced me to work smarter, not harder, making my company more sustainable and scalable.
Back in 2007, when I was just 26 years old, I took a medical leave from my investigative journalism job. I had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C about a year earlier, something I probably contracted from blood transfusions when I was a baby. I was so fatigued from the stress on my liver, I knew I couldn’t continue working full-time in a deadline-heavy job.
This wake-up call pushed me outside my comfort zone, which is where I needed to be to consider new career options.