People want to know what’s so great about being a boss. It’s different for everyone, but here’s my list of perks & pinches of doing what I’m passionate about every day.

1. PERK: It’s exciting to wake up every day and know that you get to do something you’ve created.
2. PINCH: It can be challenging, particularly in the beginning of building an enterprise, being the only one who makes all the decisions in your company.
3. PERK: It’s rewarding to be in charge of your own schedule, including not having to ask a supervisor for permission to make changes to it.
4. PINCH: You don’t have the steady paycheck in the beginning to live off of, which can be quite nerve-wracking if you’ve not saved capital to live off of for a year or more (but that’s fixable).
5. PERK: If you love living life with a thrill, you will love being in the driver’s seat as a boss.
6. PINCH: It can be isolating at times. At the beginning of your endeavor, you may find how lonely being at the tops feels (also fixable).
7. PERK: Once you have begun to flow in your work, other areas including your relationships and finances will change. And if you’re on the right track, they’ll change for the better.
8. PINCH: You are in charge of keeping up with your learning objectives, which will require you to adapt, often.
9. PERK: After you’ve established yourself as a strong brand from all the consistent work you’ve done, opportunities will be easier to come by. In many cases, opportunities will easily find you.
10. PINCH: You will have to perpetually change your boundaries to accommodate your growing lifestyle. That could mean missing important events, losing relationships, and sometimes peace of mind. However, the perks generally outweigh the pinches. So don’t give up. On the other side of a pinch are 10 times more perks. So, enjoy the ride, boss.

*This blog is about becoming free. It’s a reflection of introspective thoughts and experiences that have crossed miles of self-discovery. I created this blog to inspire others to live life with less self-criticism, judgment and openness to new experiences. May you find that you learn how to live a life by design and on your own terms!*

Have you ever heard of the 7-year itch? The 7-year itch is a belief that the happiness in committed relationships declines at approximately the 7th year in marriage or dating. It’s when people become dismayed about their love, sometimes their relationship goals, and possibly begin looking in other directions for happiness. What if this were your life, where would you begin? Would you seek couple’s counseling? Would you pick up a hobby? Would you buy a flashy new car, go on a trip with your friends, or find your joy in other places?

In honor of my 7-year relationship with Behavioral Health Consulting Services, I have to say, this has been the 1 relationship where I’ve felt about every emotion I can imagine one can feel in any significant relationship. I’ve had my growing pains, but at this stage, I’m not in a place where my unhappy moments have become so desperate that I’m ready to leave. If anything, my goal is to find the healthiest ways for me to thrive in every possible way that I can. Today, that comes from locating the pain points in my life and work and then implementing the strategies necessary to increase harmony in my life, my work, and in my relationships.

Considering that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought I’d write about some of the ways professionals can manage the multiple roles and responsibilities of doing life while also doing work and other things that matter to them. This month, I’m going to use my favorite honorary POTUS & V-POTUS- Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s joint album, “The Carters” as a reference point for the blog this month. I will parallel the tracks, “Boss”, “Nice” and “Friends” with some of the most outstanding lessons I’ve learned on this journey of ownership, agency and self-care. Here’s a little something you can look forward to:

1. 1. 1. Boss life has its perks, for sure. But, more importantly, if you remain a student you’ll gain a lot!
         
         
      2. Being nice is a prerequisite for effectively being a good boss. A lot of women have been called degrading names for behaving badly in C-suite positions, but I’ve seen both positive and not-so-positive results for being passive. Passive and nice are not synonymous. I believe in being direct and honest. I also believe in treating people who work with me with respect, regard, and compassion. That doesn’t take anything more than to be a human being. And when I’m unsatisfied, I will kindly let you know. 😊
         
         
      3. Lastly, friends don’t belong in my business nor do I rely on friends to help make my business successful. I know there are some newbies and oldies who lament about not having enough support from friends. I don’t need my friends to be supportive of what I do with work all the time. I need my friends to be great listeners, thoughtful humans, and loving companions. And that does not require me shoveling out tasks or following up on outcomes.

In essence, the life of a boss is about so many things, and it boils down to being responsible and honest with oneself about the hard and tough decisions you have to make, setting goals so big that work is never boring. And treating people how you want to be treated, while never excluding yourself in the process.

As always Village, keep the notes, emails, comments on LinkedIn coming about what resonates with you here. Are you using these blogs to help you contemplate how you are designing and living a life of purpose? Are you questioning relationships that you love or need to let go of? And if you are doing either or both? Have you told 5 other people in your networks about this blog? Share, like, post. And always, come back for more.

Until next time…

Asha

*This blog is about becoming free. It’s a reflection of introspective thoughts and experiences that have crossed miles of self-discovery. I created this blog to inspire others to live life with less self-criticism, judgment and openness to new experiences. May you find that you learn how to live a life by design and on your own terms!*