BEYOND LIMITATIONS: Building a Business as a Chronic Health Warrior by Steph Eaton
I don’t normally share my deep and meaningfuls with the wide world… I’m usually more about offering value and solutions than sharing my whole life story, but today I wanted to do a little of both: share some of my journey with you, and some of the solutions I’ve found.
Maybe you share some of my health challenges, maybe you face some of the same struggles. And maybe you’ve been thinking “I’ll never be successful” or “well I can’t do that anymore then!” (I can’t tell you how many times that second sentence has rattled around in my mind over the last few years!)
Focus:
So first let's look at the four main areas I try to focus on as I navigate the world of business and chronic health issues;
● Mindset
● Business Building
● Strategies
● Staying motivated
And it's actually been pretty important for me to focus on them in that order.
Mindset
From "Can't" to "Can"
Like I said above, that beautifully positive little phrase “Well, you can’t do that anymore, then” lives rent-free in my brain, tucked away in a corner, and likes to raise its head every now and again. Usually when I have a flare up. When I wanted to make miniature clay figures, or hair braids, or jewellery and my hands flared up with Arthritis, there it was!
When I had to give up my face painting career because I couldn’t physically stand (or sit) for long enough to finish a gig, there it was!
But wallowing in what I couldn’t do anymore only led to feeling crappy about myself. And believe me, I wallowed! But after a while, there’s only so much wallowing I could take. I got sick of feeling crappy. I had to switch it around and focus on what I could still do! And that turned out to be more than I thought!
Taking part in this event to raise money for charity turned into something I wasn’t necessarily expecting. Pushing myself physically and signing up because I thought that I wanted to be part of a challenge. What happened was brilliant. I got to spend the day and the challenge with some of the most incredible women who I can now call my friends. I have been fortunate to have not had any major illness but walking with people who had been through something that can be life changing was special. Listening to their stories about their treatment and recovery just spurred me on at difficult times. The charity we were raising money for is Move Against Cancer and it advocates how movement is so powerful.
Prioritising Health
Once I’d figured out what I could do, I knew I couldn’t just storm ahead all guns blazing. My health was the reason I’d had to change what I was doing, so I needed to make sure that didn’t happen again. Because while constantly changing what I was doing was kinda fun and exciting, it wasn’t giving me what I needed; security and consistency.
As chronic health warriors, we have to prioritise our own needs, which sometimes feels selfish, but let me ask you this - If you don’t look after yourself first, how can you be there for your family, or grow an amazing business? How can you do what’s needed if you’re always exhausted or burnt out? Self care isn’t selfish. It’s essential. Get it scheduled in your diary!
Business Building
The Power of Planning
When it comes to your business, planning is key. I found it really helped to have a rough plan of what I wanted to achieve in the next 12 months, then it could be broken down into smaller, more manageable goals. This works well for content planning too. I love to have a theme for each month that I can base my content on, and the value I deliver.
The Flexibility Factor
As awesome as planning is, you’ve got to be flexible with your plan. Flare ups never come at a convenient time, so you’ve got to give yourself some wiggle room. Allocate some time each week to plan the following week. Work out your priority tasks and go from there. I spend many a day working on my laptop from the sofa because I just can’t face walking up the stairs to the spare room/office.
Strategies
Using AI
I’m absolutely loving AI! When brain fog or fatigue sink in, but I know I need to get stuff done, AI steps in to take the weight.
If I’m blog writing, I use AI to get me started with possible topics or headings that I can expand on.
If I’m listing products on my website or Etsy shop, AI gives me the bones of a product description.
If I’m scheduling content, AI provides me with ideas for top tips or quotes that might be relevant to my audience, based on my monthly topic.
It's a starting point and an inspiration spark. I can then write things up in my own voice.
Batching and Scheduling
This is one of my favourite things to do. Especially when it comes to creating content. I tend to sit down on a good day towards the end of the month, and create all my social media content for the following month. I’ll do the same for blogs, and creating new digital products. By batching tasks like this and getting them done on my good days, I don’t have to feel guilty for the days when I struggle to focus, because I know the work is already done!
When the content is done, then comes the scheduling!
Once the blogs are written, I’ll chuck them up on my website and schedule an email to send them out to my list. I’ll also schedule posts to my page and group, sharing each blog post.
And I absolutely love the admin assist feature in my Facebook group for recurring posts! I don’t even have to think about those once they’re set up! With content scheduled in advance, and I can totally let go of any guilt for spending a day or two in bed resting, because I know I’m still going to be showing up for my audience!
Staying Motivated
Celebrating Small Wins
Let's be honest… There are days when just managing to have a shower is a win! Never mind blasting out blog posts or going to networking meetings! And we should totally celebrate that! Celebrating our little (and big) wins reminds us that we are totally capable of getting shit done when we can! It reminds us that we’re not useless or worthless! We just have to be a little more gentle with ourselves, and celebrate every. Single. Win. No matter how small!
Building a Support Network
This totally follows on from celebrating wins… Who better to do that with than a solid support network who will celebrate right along with you!
The bonus of having a great network around you is that they can also help pick you up and give you a virtual hug on your down days.
Whether it's a phone call to a friend, or a venting post in a facebook group, having a great support network is vital. And better yet, if you can surround yourself with people who are going through similar challenges or are on a similar path to you, chances are when you’re stuck on something or need a fresh perspective, they’ll be able to help you through that too!
Meet Steph:
“I am an online educator for women who live with chronic health challenges and want to start their own business, or grow their side hustle online.”
Share Your Story
Do you have a story to tell? By partnering together, I hope to share a variety of lived experiences and stories, which help and inspire other people both personally and professionally with their hormones, health, mindset, and business.
