Permission

“May I please?”

“Thank you very much. I think I will.”

You never know what’s going to push you to finally give yourself permission. It might happen by accident, by choice or after something that changes you, a loss, a breakup or a moment that forces you to pause.

However it happens, you often don’t realize how much you needed it until you’re in it, even if what you’re allowing yourself is simply space to grieve.

For entrepreneurs, especially scrappy ones, slowing down doesn’t come easily. You’re chasing a positive bank account, answering emails, working long hours and always thinking about the next order, the next bill or the next opportunity.

Then something shifts.

You step away.

Maybe you go somewhere you don’t have to take care of anyone else. Maybe you carve out a quiet corner of your life. You read a book, take a walk, sit in a sauna, try a cold plunge or have dinner alone and strike up a conversation with someone new.

You give yourself time to think, breathe, feel whatever comes up and simply be.

I highly recommend it.

Because most of us are accustomed to showing up for everyone else. We take care of our families, stay connected with friends, answer the phone, listen, help and handle what needs to be handled. It’s part of who we are, and there’s value in that.

If you’re a mother, you’re taking care of your family. If you’re a wife, you’re probably making your husband a sandwich once in a while, or at least dinner. You’re probably picking up more things off the ground than he is. Sorry, guys, but it’s true.

But it can also leave very little room for ourselves.

We’re conditioned to feel guilty when we’re not being productive, answering emails, folding laundry, returning calls, making dinner, paying bills and planning what’s next. We tell ourselves we’ll slow down someday. The problem is that someday rarely arrives on its own.

So if you get the chance to reset, or better yet, if you decide to create one, take it.

Read the book. Take the walk. Sit in the sauna. Cry if you need to. Have dinner by yourself. Talk to strangers, or don’t talk to anyone at all.

What feels like a small break can have a bigger impact than you expect. You come back a little calmer. Your mind isn’t racing in 10 directions. With space, new ideas surface, ones you wouldn’t have found if you’d kept pushing.

And the people around you feel it. Your family, your friends, your customers and even the stranger behind you in line benefit when you’re not running on fumes.

Taking that time isn’t selfish. It’s a reset that helps everything else work better.

Wendy Kushel is the owner of Wendala’s LowCountry Sugar Scrub, LLC based in Bluffton. Drawn to the beauty and personal care industry, Wendy founded her company in 2020. Her background includes stand-up comedy, film, TV and a lot of sales and marketing. For more information about Wendala’s® LowCountry Sugar Scrub visit www.lowcountrysugarscrub.com or call/text 843-949-8933.