Boundaries aren’t something that affects only one area of your life. They come into play in ALL areas of your life. The better you are at setting guidelines and communicating them, the more you will find yourself running the business and having the life you want.
Strong boundaries allow us to make good choices, keep us out of unhealthy relationships and take care of our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Now, those are just a few of the things boundaries can do for our lives. There are so many other benefits that they bring, which is why they are so essential to have in our business and personal life.
If you have weak or even no boundaries at the moment, I suspect there are things in your life that are screaming at you to make the change.
Here are a few signs that it’s time to strengthen (or implement) some boundaries:
You take care of others while neglecting your own needs
You get so busy taking care of others that you rarely have time left for yourself and your own self-care. You feel you need to fix everyone’s problems.
You feel resentful even though you agree to other people’s requests or expectations
You say “yes” to requests, invitations, and expectations but then feel resentful inside. Resentment is often a sign you’re not respecting your limits.
You always have too much on your plate
You’re the one who always works late and takes on extra assignments for others. You say “yes” almost every time you’re asked to take on a new project or task.
You give your time away for free
You’re always willing to lend a helping hand, even when it means sharing your professional expertise for free. Maybe you don’t give all your time away for free. But if you never ask for proper compensation for your knowledge, skills, and energy, you are, in a way, giving some of your time away for free.
If any of those resonated with you, it’s safe to say it’s time to set some clear boundaries. It might be obvious from the above list, but WHY are boundaries so important?
Having strong boundaries allows you to feel empowered and in charge of your time, business and overall life. It gives you the freedom to create and do more of what you LOVE and less of the things you don’t enjoy. Believe it or not, boundaries can help to strengthen your relationships because you are setting clear guidelines on what you need and want.
When you know your priorities and, you’re able to confidently make decisions that are in the best interest of your business and life, you don’t have to feel guilty about saying no to anything that is not in alignment with your goals and dreams.
