After a grueling Thursday at the office you now have to rush home to feed the dogs while downing a protein bar and some pre-workout, drag yourself to spin class, and join friends for a post workout drink and catch-up. You have a mountain of impending deadlines at work and have been running between meetings all week. The thought of rushing around town, pushing yourself to the brink of death on a bike, and then giving your friends the full attention they deserve seems like an almost insurmountable task. Not to mention you still have to prep for the last day of the workweek and somehow get enough rest to show up at work the next morning ready to tackle your To-Do list. It is so common in our culture to keep pushing to the point of exhaustion without taking a moment to refuel ourselves.
Self-care is a trend that has gained a lot of steam in the past couple of years. Starting as a millennial movement, it is now being practiced by people of all ages who are seeing the benefit in all aspects of their lives. It can mean asking your friends to take a rain check on Thursday night drinks or it can be a small action, such as allowing a phone call to go to voicemail. At one time viewed as selfish, self-care is now being seen as an important action of wellness and improvement. By doing what we need to be our best selves we are then able to put forth our best efforts. If we don’t invest in ourselves then how can we reach our full potential? You can’t pour from an empty cup.
The self-care movement also translates into the professional world. Frequently businesses, especially small organizations, are so busy providing exceptional customer care and service they forget to invest in the value of their own company. We often see companies forgo marketing because they do not have the time or see it as an indulgence rather than a necessity. It is pushed aside for other customer-focused tasks the way that we, in our personal lives, ignore when it is time to invest in us. What many people fail to realize is that by strengthening your brand or implementing a marketing strategy, you are investing in your company and paving the way for a larger return in the future. When you take the time to create and implement a consistent brand, the value of your company increases. Think about what Starbucks would lose if the founders had never taken the time to create the brand’s identity. The added value of branding means that people will pay more for a cup of coffee because that coffee looks like the real deal, not to mention the brand awareness spike from people seeing others drinking out of a cup with Starbucks written all over it.
Company self-care doesn’t have to be a full scale rebrand with digital, print, and social media components. It can be taking the time to pull together the 4 variations of your logo to decide what your real identity is, updating your website that has been sitting untouched for a couple of years, or dedicating a budget to begin a social media strategy. However you go about it, the investment made will have a positive and lasting effect on your business. At times it can feel daunting, but trust us when we say you and your business are worth it.
