Two Habits That Make Me Better As An Entrepreneur

I recently returned from vacation and a much-needed break. For the past eight months, I have been on the go a lot and I was fatigued, so I needed to slow down a bit to take care of myself. At times it feels like my brain is always ticking and it’s hard to turn it off. Also, there is a lot of noise in the online space and I find it necessary to go to a quiet place to hear my own voice and think. I make it a priority to refresh and recharge because I know that all my hard work would be in vain if I’m not around to enjoy any of the fruits of my labor. Now that I’m back from vacation, I definitely feel better, I have even more clarity on a lot of things, and I’m ready to knock out the rest of my goals as we close out 2016. I know for sure that taking breaks help to make me a better entrepreneur.

I’m just really grateful to be at a point where I can even take a break and not have everything come crashing down in my absence. I didn’t get to this point by accident, though. It took a lot of sacrifices, hard work, putting systems in place, and of course being strategic in my business decisions.

I can also say without a doubt, that another habit that has helped in my entrepreneurial journey is reading. It is a habit I developed as a child and continued into adulthood. Reading has not only helped me as an entrepreneur, it has also helped to enhance and enrich my life in general. My bookcase is literally overflowing with books on subject matters ranging from mindset to strategy to systems to faith to fiction. While I love holding a physical book, sometimes it’s just not practical to carry one with my around everywhere, like on vacation. As a recovering over-packer, I was also really committed to not taking any extra stuff with me while on vacation, including books. This is where my Audible subscription came in handy.

While I wanted to do some reading while on my trip, I intentionally wanted it to be something relaxing. After all, what’s the point of taking a break, heading to the beach and then stuffing my brain with yet another business book? I picked a title that fell into the light reading, well in this case, it’s the light listening category.

I decided to go with one of my favorite audible titles, Make it Happen by Lara Casey which ironically also touches on the topic of slowing down. Even when I’m not on vacation my Audible subscription makes it easy for me to dig into a good book even while I’m on the go. I have the App on my phone so I can listen to books while I’m talking walks, waiting at the doctor’s office or on vacation.

If you love reading like I do, you will love Audible. If you have heard about it but never tried it, then I highly suggest you give it a try. You literally have nothing to lose since Audible offers a FREE 30-day trial to download any book of your choice from the almost two hundred thousand titles available.

In case you’re overwhelmed and need a suggestion, Oprah has a new Book Club pick that is available on Audible. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead introduces readers to Cora, a teenage slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia, and chronicles her adventures as she makes a bid for freedom in the antebellum South.

If you chose this title, you can also participate in the discussion via social media. Just use #OprahsBookClub in your posts.

To quote Harry S. Truman,

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”

If you want to lead/get ahead, reading is a must, and Audible makes it extra easy for you.

This conversation is sponsored by Audible. All opinions are my own. Click HERE to start your FREE 30-day trial.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Audible. The opinions and text are all mine.